Scars of Time
by zealprophet27
Summary: If history is to change, let it change. If the world is to be destroyed, so be it. No era is safe and there doesn't seem to be much of a future to look forward to unless the wrongs are righted. {Lucy/Wyatt, Rufus/Jiya, Flynn/OC}
1. Predicament

**A/N: Hello all. This is my first Timeless fic. This is going to be a slight AU, taking place somewhere in between the 2nd season moving forward. I'm not addressing the whole "Jessica" or "Rufus dying" situations. It might be something I dabble in later on, but for now, I'll let that be the magic that is of the original show. I hope I can do this justice.**

 **With that, let me also say that I own nothing except my OC and ideas. Otherwise, on behalf of the rest of the Clockblockers, I hope we see new seasons in the future.**

 **Here's the first chapter. Enjoy.  
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Agent Christopher stood at the bottom of the steps, waiting as the door to the Lifeboat opened and the four man crew began to emerge. Lucy was the first one out. Christopher met her tired brown eyes and asked, "What happened? Did you stop Rittenhouse?"

Lucy clutched her dirty skirts as she carefully descended the steps. Her shoes were caked in mud. "Short answer? Yes." She dropped her grimy hem back to the floor, straightening out her skirt as she stepped aside, granting Rufus access to the floor where he quickly ran off to get an office chair with wheels.

Christopher furrowed her brows as she watched Rufus moving with purpose. She questioned, "And the long answer?"

Lucy was about to speak when a voice groaned above them at the hatch to the Lifeboat. "It's complicated."

Christopher lifted her gaze to the Lifeboat. Wyatt stood up with Flynn's left arm tossed over his shoulders. Flynn's right hand was holding his side. There was a dark red stain seeping through his blue shirt under his navy jacket. "What the hell happened?"

Wyatt and Flynn carefully climbed down the stairs. Once they reached the bottom, Flynn sighed heavily, grimacing in pain as he slumped into the office chair that Rufus had wheeled over. Wyatt stated, "We ran into a couple of problems."

"Such as?" Christopher pushed, staring at Flynn to see if he was in serious need of medical care or if it was a graze.

"There were three sleepers there," Flynn groaned. "Turns out there's a reason they don't teach kids about Sarah Tarrant."

"Why is that?" she asked, looking between the four members of the team, clearly confused.

Rufus chimed in before anyone had a chance to properly respond, "She's a bitch."

Wyatt quickly interjected before Agent Christopher could retort, "She was very determined to start the Revolutionary War right then and there. Had we not managed to shut her up, it might just have started."

Rufus added, "The things she said, I thought she _was_ the sleeper."

Christopher looked to Lucy for a simpler answer. Instead of delving into the history of the woman who almost jump started the Revolutionary War by running her hot tempered mouth, Lucy took this moment to state what was already on Christopher's mind. "We're going to need a doctor for Flynn. It's pretty bad."

Flynn shifted in his chair. "I told you, I'm fine."

"You're not fine," Lucy retorted. "You lost a lot a blood."

Flynn tried to wave it off, but everyone could see the color fading from his face before he passed out, crashing hard to the floor.

"I'll get someone here immediately," Christopher stated. "I know just who to ask."

Agent Christopher sat in her parked car just outside the hospital. She studied the folder in her lap. It was the file of Dr. Tenley Levinson. It was a full background check and history on the woman. Included with all of the doctor's information was a photo of the young woman. Denise studied the girl's features, just on the off-chance she'd run into her in the hallways.

The doctor's photo showed a woman in her thirties, dark eyes, light brown hair, and fair skinned. Reading over the notes made about the girl's height, she was tall, above average for a woman. As Denise looked at the photo, she could see a familiar sadness within the girl's brown eyes. There was no mention in the file as to why she would have that kind of sadness, but she knew better than to pry, should she find the doctor. She closed the file and dumped it into the center console as she climbed out and headed towards the entrance of the hospital.

The sliding glass doors to the hospital opened just as Denise Christopher stepped up to them. She knew where she would find her doctor of choice and headed towards the OR suites. One of the things that she loved about hospitals was how no one asked you if you needed help finding someone. She was able to navigate through without once having to stop to talk to someone.

As she neared the double doors to the Operating wing, a couple of security guards had raised their hands at her approach. The tall black man on her right asked, "Can I help you?"

Without batting an eye, she had removed her badge from within her inside coat pocket, showing them the credentials she had worked so hard to achieve. "I'm Agent Christopher with Homeland Security. I'm here to see Dr. Levinson."

The two security guards exchanged looks. "What's Levy done?"

"Doesn't concern you," Christopher stated. "Which way?"

They stepped aside and the tall man pointed down the hall. "OR 3."

She nodded her thanks and headed down the hall towards the correct suite. When she arrived to the double doors, she peered through the window. The doctors were operating on someone so she waited until they were finished with their surgery. She wasn't going to barge in, contaminate the surgery, risk the patient's life, and have a lawsuit on her hands. She needed to be patient, which was something she prided herself on being.

It wasn't a long wait - ten minutes - before the double doors opened and some of the nurses were wheeling the patient out of the operating suite and into Recovery.

Christopher watched as a group of doctors exited the suite and started to disperse. She approached them, recognizing the doctor she was after within the group. "Dr. Levinson?"

Three of the four doctors turned to face a young woman whose brown eyes were staring wide at Denise. "Yes?"

She raised her badge again, showing the spectacle that hadn't left who she was. "I'm Agent Christopher with Homeland Security. I have some questions to ask you."

"You a terrorist now, Levy?" one of the male doctors jested.

The other male doctor snorted. "That would explain so much!"

Dr. Levinson turned to the group of doctors who were still gawking at the scene before them. She nodded, turning her attention back to Christopher. "Of course." She motioned down the hall and started walking next to Denise as they left the others speechless in the hallway. "What can I do for you, Agent Christopher?"

When they were out of earshot of anyone else, Denise stopped them. "I need your help."

"My help?" the young woman asked, seemingly shocked. "With what?"

Denise stated, "I can't tell you the details unless you agree to come with me." She glanced up and down the hallway out of the corner of her dark eyes before speaking in a hushed tone. "You wouldn't be coming back here if you choose to come with me."

"Why me?" Levinson asked. She didn't care about not returning to this place of employment. No one took her seriously and she had been looking for other jobs secretly anyways.

"I needed the best," Christopher stated. "You graduated the top 3% of your class-"

Levinson laughed, shaking her head. She had connected the dots quicker than Denise thought she would. "You mean that you needed someone who was good at what they do, but also didn't have family or friends who'd suddenly question their sudden disappearance?"

Denise fought back a smile. She already liked this kid; she was quick to pick up the subtleties. She nodded. "It's a critical situation, one that needs the highest clearance. It's a chance to change the world - make a difference."

The young doctor didn't blink. "Where do I sign?"

Denise seemed taken aback at the quick willingness this kid had. There weren't any questions or fighting back on how she didn't want to disappear. "That's it?"

The girl licked her lips, tilting her head slightly to her left side. "I'm assuming that you came looking for me to pitch this crazy idea because someone in your unit needs medical attention, right?" When Denise nodded, the girl added, "Then we're wasting precious time. Let me grab my things and I'll come with you." As they started to head down the hall, the doctor added, "You can fill me in when we're out of here."

Agent Christopher waited patiently outside the hospital sliding doors for Dr. Levinson. As she waited, she thought over the woman's profile, trying to understand why she was so willing to uproot her life and disappear without so much as a fight.

What she could remember about the woman's profile was that she was the youngest child of three. Her parents weren't rich, nor were they living on welfare; they were living a pseudo-comfortable life. Her older brother was barely making ends meet, her older sister was married with five kids. Dr. Levinson had no romantic connections noted in her profile, and by how quickly she had agreed to sign up with Christopher, it told her that there wasn't anyone or it was a freshly terminated relationship.

Dr. Levinson had been accepted into Pre-Med before she had graduated from High School, and was in Med School within half the time it took other normal classmates to finish Pre-Med. She was gifted. Levinson missed being in the top 1% of her graduating class because she had taken a semester off - undocumented by the school - to help refugees in third world countries who were in dire need of medical care. That undocumented absence had cost her Honors.

When Christopher had laid eyes on the girl, she realized that she was about the same age, maybe a year or two younger than Lucy. Levinson had seemed tough to Denise - or at the very least, thick skinned. When she was being teased earlier in the hallway, she managed to ignore the comments and roll with the punches. She recognized that behavior in people who had been through the ringer. Whatever this kid's story was, she knew that Levinson would be tough enough to handle whatever came at them. She was feeling more and more confident that she had picked the right one.

As Denise waited, a couple of doctors exited the doors behind her and started to light up their cigarettes, which is was something that Christopher hated. Why work in health care when you were practicing terrible health habits yourself? One of the doctors asked his friend, "Did you hear about Levinson?"

"No," the other said as he took a drag from his cigarette. "What'd she do this time?"

The first doctor shook his head. "I don't know, but Homeland Security came in and asked her a bunch of questions."

"Doesn't mean anything," the second one pointed out.

"Maybe not, but Jameson said that Levinson seemed nervous," the first commented.

"Nervous about what?" the second questioned. "You think she's done something?"

"It's Levy," the first retorted. "Who knows when she's involved."

The second laughed. "You're just mad at her because she's rejected you three times, Roger."

"You make me sound like a bitter housewife," Roger said, blowing smoke from his lips.

"Well," the second doctor started. "You kind of are."

"Screw you," Roger said, taking another drag. "She just doesn't know what she's missing out on."

Just as Christopher was about to say something, Levinson walked outside. She inhaled before saying, "I'm ready to go."

"What'd you do, Levy?" the second one asked. "Everyone thinks you're being arrested."

Levinson turned to face the two doctors. "What makes you think I've done something?"

Roger approached them. Christopher watched him carefully, waiting to see if she would need to force him to stand down. He stood inches from Levinson. "Levy," he taunted. "You're not important. So that means that you've done something wrong and they need to question you behind lock and key."

Levinson had given a half smile, almost as if she was believing the things that were being said about her. "And you wonder why I've rejected you time and again..."

"What's that got to do with anything?" he spat at her.

She shrugged. "Just about as much as what Homeland Security needs me for. It doesn't mean a damn thing."

Levinson turned and started to walk away. Denise looked at both of the doctors and ordered, "Put those things out. You're doctors for crying out loud." She followed Levinson into the parking lot towards her car, leaving two confused and slightly annoyed doctors behind her.

The drive back to the bunker was filled with questions, much like Denise thought it would be.

"Rittenhouse?" the doctor asked. "Like the park in Pennsylvania?"

"Something like that," Denise mumbled. She had already gone through everything they had endured before Garcia Flynn stole the Mothership, how they were able to capture him, but he's now a part - a vital part - of their team. She explained Rittenhouse and all they were doing, how history had been changed numerous times already. She had expected the doctor to be hung up on the fact that there was a time machine - a real one, not something out of science fiction - but rather, she found the good doctor stuck on Rittenhouse's name.

Denise even explained every member of the team. She started with Connor Mason, the man behind the blasted machines that started this whole ordeal. Then she moved onto the next logical people to describe, Rufus and Jiya as they were the engineers who knew the mechanics of the Lifeboat, Mothership, and the software involved. After that, she explained Wyatt's purpose and finally, she talked about Lucy Preston.

The doctor stared blankly at the dashboard of the car. Denise glanced over at her as they drove to the bunker. She asked, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," the doctor stated, blinking back to the present. "It's uh... It's just a lot to take in, that's all."

"Do you regret coming?" Christopher asked.

"Do you regret asking me?" Levinson turned the question back around.

Denise held the girl's gaze. "Not yet."

The doctor nodded slowly as they pulled into the security of the bunker.

They climbed out of the car, making their way deeper into the bunker. The doctor slung her bag over her shoulder as they entered.

The doctor seemed almost uncomfortable as she took in the dark and dingy state of the bunker. There was even a faint odor of wetness that she couldn't place, but said nothing. She followed Denise further into the bunker. It was quiet.

"Where is everyone?" the doctor asked. Denise shook her head. It was a question even she was asking herself.

As they rounded the corner, they bumped into Rufus and Jiya. All eyes fell on the doctor who stood behind Christopher awkwardly. "Where is everyone?"

Rufus couldn't pull his eyes off Levinson. "They're uh- Sorry, who's this?"

Denise sighed. "Dr. Levinson, this is Rufus and Jiya." She turned back to Rufus. "Where is everyone?"

Rufus motioned back down the hall where they came from. "They're in there, trying to keep Flynn from moving around too much."

Denise gave Levinson a short nod as they headed down the hall towards Flynn and the others. When they entered, Flynn was trying to sit up in bed, while Lucy and Wyatt were determined to keep him from standing up.

"I swear to God, if you don't stop trying to sit up, I will shoot you!" Wyatt shouted at an annoyed Flynn. Levinson noticed the handgun in Wyatt's hand, aiming it towards Flynn. Lucy raised her hand up at Wyatt, giving him a silent warning to stop antagonizing Flynn.

Christopher chimed in, "And then I'll have you arrested for conspiracy." Her voice had quickly gained the attention of the three members in the room. They turned their attention towards her; Wyatt quickly lowered his gun. She motioned to the doctor standing next to her. "This is Dr. Levinson. She's here to take care of Flynn's wound."

Levinson approached Flynn and saw the amount of blood seeping through the gauze that had to have been days old. She observed how pale he was, which told her just how much blood he had lost. Quickly, she took her bag off her shoulders and got to work, pulling items that she stole from the hospital on her way out from her bag, and setting them on the edge of the bed. She pulled on a pair of gloves before reaching for his wound.

She concentrated on working the blood soaked gauze off his side. She was careful not to yank too hard as she feared the pain she would inflict and the skin she might accidently rip off along with the gauze.

Flynn watched the doctor silently as she worked. Her dark eyes narrowed in concentration, lips pursing occasionally as she worked deep in thought. He saw the faint outline of a surgical hat that she had worn when in surgery following along her dirty blond hairline. Her ponytail, which must have been neatly bound this morning, was starting to loosen, allowing some strands to fall around her face.

Feeling like she was being stared at intently, Levinson raised her brown eyes from Flynn's wounded side to his face, meeting his intense gaze. He seemed intrigued and amused at the same time. Feeling slightly flustered under his gaze, Levinson turned her attention back to his wound. She was so focused on her task at hand that she didn't realize that no one else was left in the room other than her and her patient.

When the blood soaked gauze finally came off, she set to the task of cleaning the wound, feeling around for the bullet, which had already been removed by Jiya upon waiting for Levinson to arrive, and sewing him up properly. When she was finished, she removed her gloves, grabbed a pill bottle. She opened it and withdrew a couple of tablets. "Take these."

"What is it?" he asked, as he took them from her, examining them before taking the water she extended to him.

"Antibiotics," she explained. "To help with infection." Once he swallowed them, she stated, "You need some rest. A couple of days before you can start your normal activities."

He smirked. "It's just a graze, Doc." It was as if he was trying to convince everyone that he wasn't in as bad of shape as everyone was making it out to be. She saw through it.

She pursed her lips. "Yeah...okay." She started to gather up her supplies and set herself to the task of cleaning up the mess around her.

Flynn blurted out, "What are you doing here?" The tone of voice he was using was clearly one of interest, curiosity, amusement, and a dash of confusion.

"Excuse me?" she asked, not looking up at him as she continued cleaning.

He propped himself up on his pillow. "What'd Agent Christopher have on you that forced you to be here?"

"Nothing," Levinson replied, matter of fact.

"Nothing?" Flynn asked, almost in shock. "She has nothing against you?"

"No," she replied. "I came willingly."

Flynn watched her movements carefully as he asked, "Who hurt you?"

The girl turned towards him, confusion written on her face. "What?"

He was hoping that the question would have given something away but he was disappointed by the lack of body language she had produced by his prodding questions. "Who hurt you so badly that disappearing seemed like the right plan?"

"No one," the doctor replied quickly, turning back to her task. She finished and said, "I'll let you rest now and I'll come back later to see how you're faring."

Flynn watched with intrigue as she left the room, closing the door behind her as she left.

Levinson walked up to Denise and the others who were waiting in the common living area. All eyes were on her. Christopher asked, "How is he?"

Levinson scanned the room, locking eyes with each member of the team before saying, "He'll live. He needs to rest a couple of days, but then, he'll be good to go." The team looked relieved, even Wyatt, who seemed to hate the man seemed to let a relieved sigh out.

Denise nodded. "I'm glad you're here, Doc."

"Tenley," she stated. "Call me, Tenley." Awkwardly, she shifted in her place and mumbled, "Or Levy."

Denise smiled. "Tenley. Welcome to the team." With that, Agent Christopher took her leave from the group, leaving Tenley standing there with a group of people she had only heard about but didn't know. An awkward silence fell on the room.

Jiya cleared her throat. "Well, uh..." she glanced at her fellow mates before saying, "Welcome...it's not much, but it's sort of home."

Tenley smirked. "I've lived in worse. This is fine."

"So, there's a few things you might want to know," Jiya said as she stood up, approaching the doctor. "First, why don't I show you to your room? I can fill you in on some of the nuisances around here."

"Sounds good," Levinson stated. "Thanks."

The two walked away, Jiya leading the way. As they walked, Jiya pointed out rooms, who slept where, and then said, "This is the bathroom. There's no lock on the door, so you'll have to put the chair up against the door... that's what we've all agreed to on how to have some privacy, especially showering."

Tenley nodded. "Okay, easy enough, I suppose."

Jiya walked them into a semi-large room. Tenley scanned about the room as Jiya stated, "This will be your room."

"It's huge," the doctor stated. "All the other rooms you pointed out were smaller-"

Jiya admitted, "Well, unfortunately, you'll be sleeping in what you'll most likely have make into the infirmary."

Levinson glanced about the room. It wouldn't be a sterile environment, especially with the fact that she'd have to live in it as well, but she's been to third world countries; she knew that this was a much cleaner place than most she'd seen. She'd make it work. She turned to Jiya. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

The two smiled warmly at each other. Just as Jiya was about to leave, she stopped at the door and said, "I know it's not a perfect place to be, and it's going to get somewhat lonely here at times, but... everyone here are good people. You won't be short of friends."

Tenley smiled. "Thanks, Jiya." Jiya smiled again and left the doctor alone in the room to get settled and set up.

It took Tenley a few hours to rearrange the room into a proper infirmary that flowed easily based on what she could envision she would be needing to do. There was a specific setup in the corner of the room, furthest from the door, that she had set up with privacy blinds, in case she needed a place to do surgery. It was the closest thing that would work for a sterile environment she could come up with. She had a bed opposite the privacy blinds, closer to the door, for when someone just came in for a patch job. Above the sink, which was just next to the patch up bed, was where she had all of the medical supplies she brought with her, including what they already had on hand.

Levinson was genuinely surprised when she discovered a portable x-ray machine, blood pressure cuffs, syringes and IV bags with tubing, as well as a few other portable pieces of equipment that she wasn't expecting to see in a bunker. With every item inventoried, the doctor felt like she could make this work incredibly well. She felt surprisingly confident.

Once the infirmary was set up, she focused on the opposite end of the room, which would be used as her personal living space. She had not much room to utilize for herself, but she didn't need much. She pushed the dingy couch up against the wall and shoved what little she had personally for herself into the small nightstand that she pushed up next to the couch. The finishing touch was placing a small lamp with no shade on the table. The bulb, when turned on, was dim, but it produce a large amount of light once it had been on for a while. It would do.

Just as Tenley finished setting up her living/working room, a knock landed on the door. "Come in," she called out.

The door opened and Agent Christopher walked in. She halted in her tracks for a moment, taking in all the work that Tenley had done. "I have to say that I'm impressed." She turned her attention from the room to Tenley. "You did this all?"

Tenley nodded. "Yeah... I tried to set it up as much as I could to a real hospital but-"

"I think it looks great," Denise stated, clearly impressed.

Tenley watched her, waiting for her to state the reason for her visit. "What's up?"

The woman blinked back to the present. "Have you checked up on your patient?"

"I was just about to go there next," Tenley started. "Why?"

"He's been complaining about being laid up in bed," she stated. "Swears that he's able to get up."

Tenley smirked. "Men." Feeling the heat rise in her cheeks, afraid that she might not have been wise to say that out loud, she quickly looked at Agent Christopher, adding, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"Doesn't make it any less true," Denise said with a chuckle. "However, best that you don't say that too loudly next time." Denise watched the girl nod. She added, "If you need to bring him here and restrain him, I'll be happy to oblige."

Levinson cracked a smile, relaxing from her earlier outburst. "I'll take a look at him. He might just be ready to move around now." Levinson took her leave from the room, leaving Denise behind, who was still marveling at the kid's achievement.

A knock landed on Flynn's door. He grimaced as he sat up on the edge of his bed, "Come in." The door opened slowly and the young doctor poked her head in before fully opening the door to enter. "Ah, Doc. What brings you here?"

She had a disappointed look on her face when she saw him sitting up on the edge of the bed. To his surprise, she didn't say anything about it. Instead, she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Like a million bucks," he groaned through gritted teeth.

She blinked at his comment. "What? Dirty money, million?" He chuckled, shifting in his place. She bent down and looked at the bandage on his side, feeling his eyes on her the entire time. She reached out and gingerly touched the skin around the bandage. "How's it feeling?"

"It hurts," he admitted. "I just need something for the pain."

She glanced up at him. "You need to rest, but if you think meds are what you need, fine. I'll be right back."

As she started to leave the room, he asked in shock, "That's it?" She froze and turned to look at him as he continued his questioning, "No reprimand for sitting up early? No ordering me to rest?"

Levinson released a defeated sigh. "You don't strike me as the kind of patient who would listen to me even if I were to strap you down to the bed. Instead, I think you're the kind of patient who thinks they know best, and there's no reasoning with you." She shrugged and added, "I've learned that with patients like you, the best way to handle it is to let them take control of their health, watch them suffer and struggle until they complain about how they're not getting better and ask for help. Until you come to me to get better, I'm not going to bother telling you what to do."

Flynn stood up and padded across the room towards her. He stopped a few inches shy from her. She could feel the heat that he emanated suddenly embrace her. She stared back into his gaze as he looked down at her. He studied her face for a moment before calling her bluff. "You don't do that."

She swallowed nervously. "You're right. I don't. But imagine what a difference it would make if doctors did that." Flynn smirked. She took a step backwards towards the door. "Let's get you some pain meds, then."

They walked in silence down the hall towards the infirmary. When they entered, Flynn stopped only a couple of steps into the room. He had a similar reaction to the room as Agent Christopher had. He seemed shocked to see it organized in a short amount of time. _The doctor didn't waste any time settling in,_ he thought. He said, "You've been busy."

She didn't say anything, just nodded as she turned to the cabinets to the right of them. She opened a door and pulled out a pill bottle.

As she worked to get Flynn his pain meds, he had stepped closer to her, standing behind her, waiting silently a couple of feet away. She turned around with the pills in a small plastic cup and smacked into him.

Flynn saw the startled look on her face as she ran into him, causing her to drop the tiny cup with pills inside. He heard the cup and tablets plink off the floor. She stared at him for a moment, blinking away her embarrassment. "Sorry," she whispered. "Didn't realize you were right there." She quickly bent down to the floor to search for the pills. Flynn lowered himself to his knee to help her look when she shook her head. "No, don't," she started. "You're hurt, I'll get them."

He studied her again, ignoring her request for him to stand up. Instead, he picked up the small plastic cup and one of the tablets that were by his feet. "I've got one here." He held it between his pointer finger and thumb, showing her the tablet.

"I've got the other," she said, standing up again. When they were both on their feet, she handed him the other tablet in his open palm and said, "Thanks for helping."

"Sorry for scaring you," he joked. He popped the pills in his mouth. Before she could ask him if he wanted any water, he had swallowed them both with ease. He held out the tiny cup for her.

She gave him a half smile as she took the cup from his fingers, brushing her fingertips against his. She didn't blink at the connection, but Flynn lingered for a moment before turning and taking his leave from the infirmary.

When he was gone from the room, Tenley watched as the door closed behind him before setting to the task of cleaning the cup and sterilizing it as best as she could with the tools she had for the next person.


	2. A New Journey

**A/N: Thank you KnightLawn and llmarmalade for your reviews. Glad you're enjoying this so far.**

 **Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.**

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Later that evening, Tenley explored the bunker. When she arrived to where the Lifeboat was sitting in it's charged state, her mouth fell agape. She blinked at it. She couldn't tear her brown eyes from the vessel before her.

An English voice spoke softly beside her, "Amazing, isn't it?"

"I thought you guys were kidding about the whole time traveling thing," she admitted.

Connor Mason chuckled as he crossed his arms, turning and leaning into the table, he asked, "What did you think you were doing here then?"

She finally ripped her gaze away from the machine to look at Connor. "Honestly, I thought you might be Russian spies or something."

Mason let loose a hearty laugh. "No," he chuckled. "Not spies. Not really... we-" He was interrupted by rapid beeping on the computers that sat on the table he was leaning on.

Alarms suddenly started to blare throughout the bunker. Tenley watched the lights all around them as they flashed along with the alarms. She asked, "What's going on?"

Before Mason could explain to Tenley what was going on, Agent Christopher asked, "What's happened?"

Jiya pushed her way to the computer next to Mason, causing Levinson to back away from everything and take her place at the back of the group. She felt a familiar warmth next to her and glanced over her shoulder to see Flynn standing there, waiting to hear the news from Christopher.

Jiya announced, "The Mothership jumped. They're..." there was the sound of keyboard clacking before the rest of the sentence was spoken. "They're a few miles outside the Senlis Forest in France, 1915."

Every set of eyes turned to Lucy, even Tenley's. Lucy was deep in thought, racking her brain to find the answer. What happened in France in 1915 that Rittenhouse would be concerned about? Suddenly, Lucy's face lit up and the answer had shown itself.

Lucy quickly shouted, "Dorothy Lawrence!"

"Who?" Wyatt asked what everyone was thinking.

Lucy shook her head, realizing that she was getting ahead of herself. These people around her weren't historians and history didn't mention this woman, so she knew that she would have to explain it to them, step by step. She tried again. "Dorothy Lawrence. She was an aspiring English journalist who disguised herself as a man to work on the front lines of Somme."

"What would the connection be for Rittenhouse? What did she do that would have them target her?" Christopher asked.

Lucy thought for a moment. "I'm not sure - I mean, she spent approximately 10 days on the front lines, laying mines and digging tunnels and trenches before it took such a toll on her that she was forced to expose herself to her commanding officers. They took her to their headquarters and interrogated her as spy, forced her to sign an affidavit to keep her from writing whatever it was that she saw..." Lucy's voice trailed off in thought before saying, "She was the only known woman solider on the frontlines...but... I honestly don't know what Rittenhouse would want with her." Another thought crossed her mind. "She wrote a memoir, which sold poorly, but maybe her true purpose behind all of this wasn't written because her commanding officers withheld it all because of the 1914 Defense of the Realm Act that they used to silence her."

"What happened to her?" Rufus questioned with genuine curiosity.

Lucy looked forlorn. "She ends up in a mental institution where she dies, alone. It's quite sad. I always thought it was a bit of a mystery why there was so little information on her life-"

Christopher cleared her throat, cutting the conversation short. She started to say, "Then let's get going. Rufus, Wyatt, Lucy-"

Lucy interjected, "No."

"Excuse me?" Christopher asked.

Lucy shook her head. "I can't go. Not this time."

A confused Agent Christopher narrowed her dark eyes at her. "What do you mean, you can't go?"

Lucy explained, "It's the front lines of a war zone. Women wouldn't be permitted there. I'd be shot or imprisoned as a spy, accused of being a prostitute, and so on. I think that it's best if the men go alone on this one." She glanced at the men, who were unsure if this was a wise course of action as they had no knowledge about who they were looking for or the area, let alone the fact that Wyatt and Flynn couldn't stand each other. She added, "I can prep the team with the knowledge that they'll need to succeed, but this has to be an all-guy mission."

Christopher thought it over for a moment and realized that Lucy was right. She sighed reluctantly, "Okay." She pointed to the men as she called their names, "Wyatt, Rufus, Connor, and," she looked between Dr. Levinson and Flynn before saying, "Flynn. You're up."

Lucy led the men over to a table and immediately got to work in educating the men on their mission.

As Lucy was busy conducting her lesson, Levinson approached Christopher and whispered, "Are you sure that it's a good idea sending Flynn? I mean, he was just shot a couple days ago-"

"And yet, he's up and walking around," Denise replied. "Seems like he's ready to go." Sensing concern for her patient, Christopher added, "Why don't you do what you need to do to make sure that he's taken care of before they head out?"

"Now or...?" Tenley hesitated as she watched the men and Lucy. "Or should I wait until they're finished?"

Christopher turned and shouted, "Flynn!" Everyone turned to look at Christopher. She ordered, "Before you head out, check in with Tenley. Make sure you're 100% ready to go."

Suddenly, all eyes shifted from Christopher to Levinson, who shifted uncomfortably under everyone's gaze. Flynn nodded, then turned back to Lucy as she finished up with their lesson.

Levinson had headed back to the infirmary, where she waited for Flynn to come. She wasn't sure that it was a good idea for him to be going anywhere that might lead him to making his healing wound worse, but she just had to remember that she was only there to patch people up. That was her job, just like Lucy's job was to educate those of them that hadn't paid close enough attention to history class as they should have.

A knock landed on her door. Before she could respond, the door opened and Flynn walked in. "Do what you need to do, Nine," he said abruptly. "We don't have much time."

She was taken aback by the curtness and the random use of the word 'Nine', but said nothing, mainly because she knew that they had to leave immediately. She made a mental note to ask him about the comment another time.

She quickly took a look at his recovering wound and redressed it. She was about to give him pain meds to take with him, but when she turned around from the cabinet that stored her medications, he was gone. She sighed and put the meds back reluctantly.

When Tenley came back out to the main area, she stood behind Jiya at the computer, and next to Lucy and Agent Christopher as the Lifeboat began to whir. Suddenly, the Lifeboat looked as if it had been swallowed up by the air and it disappeared, creating a suction in the room. Papers that weren't held down by paperweights blew all around them.

Tenley's mouth was agape again, in shock. Her brown eyes were wide as she blinked at the void in the room where the massive machine used to sit. Agent Christopher looked at her, smirked and said as she started to walk away, "Welcome to the team... Again."

Jiya stood up and admitted, "It's pretty trippy, isn't it?"

Tenley nodded. She was still stunned. She honestly didn't believe anyone when they talked about the time machine, which was why she didn't focus on that part of the elaborate story - or what she thought was an elaborate story - that Agent Christopher had told her when she was picked up. She was beginning to realize that everything was true and panic began to settle inside her mind. _What have I gotten myself into,_ she wondered.

 **400 Yards from the Front Line**

 **Somme, France**

The four men, dressed as English soldiers, approached the back of the line, where they were told they would find the British Expeditionary Force hard at work. As they approached the back lines, the commanding officer and a couple of soldiers met them halfway.

"Halt! Who goes there?" the CO shouted. The other soldiers that accompanied him had their rifles aimed at them.

The four men raised their hands, showing that they were unarmed. Connor Mason, the only English man present, took it upon himself to introduce himself to the armed men. "Afternoon, Sir. My name is Al Green and we were ordered to join your crew."

"You're the reinforcements?" the man asked, eyeing all of them, almost sounding like he wasn't buying the story.

Mason turned to look at his fellow team mates before addressing the commander once more. "Yes sir, we are."

The man's stern face softened and he sighed a breath of relief. "Thank the Lord Almighty. We could certainly use a few extra sets of hands." He pointed down into the trenches that they were working on. "Hop in, grab a shovel, and get to digging. We need to finish this up by nightfall."

The four men nodded and hopped into the trench. As they started to work, they kept their eye out for Dorothy Lawrence. They knew that she would be disguised as a man, it was just a matter of figuring out which one.

Flynn muttered, "I'm guessing it's that one over there." The others glanced to get a better look at the one he was nodding towards. Flynn explained, "The five o'clock shadow looks smooth from even here."

Wyatt nodded. "I agree."

Rufus tilted his head slightly. "Are you sure? I mean, he looks like a boy-"

"They're all boys," Mason pointed out. "Even their commanding officer looked to be in his twenties."

Flynn smirked. "Welcome to World War I, boys."

They continued to work on the trenches while keeping an eye out for their target. They also knew that there was the possibility of sleeper agents within their ranks. The group was small, which meant that the danger was even more severe. If they had sleepers hiding within this group of men - and one woman - then their covers were already blown. If the sleepers weren't in this group of soldiers, then they still had some time.

An hour or two later, Rufus slumped into the trench to take a break. He muttered, "This sucks." Rufus met Flynn's gaze and cut him off before he had a chance to say anything, "I know, I know; welcome to World War I."

Flynn turned his attention away from an exhausted Rufus and spied a group of men approaching the line. "What do we have here?"

The others peered over the top of their trench to see what Flynn was seeing. Three men had walked up and jumped into the trenches, resting against the dirt walls and drinking from their canteen.

"Do you think one of them is the one we're looking for?" Mason asked.

Before anyone had a chance to respond, a voice shouted, "Private Smith!"

One of the three returning soldiers stood up. He saluted. "Yes sir!"

The commanding officer began speaking to Private Smith, but it was so quiet that no one could hear what was being said.

Wyatt stated, "That's our guy."

"Woman," Rufus whispered.

"Whatever," Wyatt replied. He pointed at Private Smith. "That's who we're here for."

"How can you be sure?" Mason asked, looking the soldier up and down.

Wyatt whispered, "Look at the posture. Look at the frame...that's a woman."

Flynn chimed in, "Well, then. It looks like we've got ourselves a job to do."

 **Present Day**

Tenley walked about the infirmary, pacing, wondering what was happening to the team that got sucked into time.

She couldn't believe that she was essentially living some science fiction life now. This wasn't real. This wasn't something that you could honestly tell people that you do for a living. She racked her brain thinking about people she might be able to relate to - Dr. McCoy and Dr. Crusher from Star Trek, Dr. Westphalen from SeaQuest, Dr. Fraiser from StarGate, Dr. Tam from Firefly, but ended up quietly chuckling. Everyone she was thinking of were literally science fiction based characters. There was no escape from that fact.

A knock landed on her door and she turned in time to see Agent Christopher entering. "How are you holding up?"

Tenley replied, still pacing the room. "Fine. Why do you ask?"

Christopher raised an eyebrow at her. "You've been in your room for the past hour, pacing." Tenley stopped pacing and Christopher added, "I know this isn't easy to accept."

"I honestly thought you were lying about the time traveling thing. I figured it was just something you were saying metaphorically for what the real reason was..." She started pacing again. "I really wasn't expecting to see..." her voice trailed off as she thought of the Lifeboat being sucked into nothingness. She motioned towards the direction of the main room. "That."

Christopher nodded. "You'll get used to it in no time."

"No time, huh?" Tenley repeated, thinking it a pun.

Denise asked, "Are you still sure this is something that you want to do?"

"I'm not scared of this whole time traveling...thing," she admitted. "It's just not normal...it's not something they teach you in medical school." Before Denise could ask what she meant, Tenley was already explaining, "I don't know what diseases they're going to bring back - what bacteria, germs, infections - I am not equipped to handle whatever might happen to them if they come back with wounds not from our timeline... Hell," she motioned to the cabinets she had organized with her supplies. "There's barely enough here to handle our timeline wounds and injuries."

"Make a list and I'll get you what you need," Denise said simply.

"What?" Levinson seemed shocked. "Just like that?"

"Just like that," Denise stated. "Mind you, we might not be able to get everything you ask for, like the big equipment such as an MRI machine but I can certainly get you most of what you need."

"Oh," Tenley sighed. "Okay. I'll make a list."

Christopher was about to leave but stopped at the door, turning back to address Tenley one more time. "Whatever you need to make your job as easy as possible, I'm on board. I believe you can do it. It's why I sought you out."

With that said, Tenley watched as Agent Christopher took her leave.


	3. A Curious Tale

**A/N: Thank you 263Adder for your review; I appreciate it. Sorry it's not easily followed if you haven't watched the series. =\ I hope that I can try to explain better in future chapters.**

 **Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Somme, France 1915**

Private Smith had been ordered off the line. The four men had carefully followed the Private as he walked into the forest nearby. When they stopped to see where the Private was heading, they spied a small hut, intricately hidden amongst the trees and shrubs. Had they not been watching Private Smith, they would have potentially missed it entirely.

"What the hell is he...uh...she doing here?" Rufus asked, staring at the creepy hut she entered.

Flynn stated, "We better keep a look out. Who knows if the sleepers are watching."

"So," Wyatt asked, turning to face Flynn. "What do you suggest we do? Split up?" There was a sharp edge to his voice. Connor and Rufus exchanged concerned glances at the tone.

"Good of a place to start," Flynn admitted.

"And I assume you're the one who's wanting to go in there," Wyatt retorted, motioning towards the hidden hut.

"You know," Flynn started. "Despite what you may think, I'm not the bad guy here. We're on the same team."

Rufus muttered something under his breath that no one quite heard and based on the look on his face, Rufus was thankful for that. Mason suggested, "Why don't you two go together and we'll wait here. If we see any movement in the forest, even the sleepers, we'll let you know."

Rufus's eyes grew in disbelief that Mason was suggesting this plan. Flynn had immediately agreed, just because he wanted to go home already. Wyatt seemed uncertain. Everyone - Flynn included - knew that Wyatt didn't trust Flynn. There was no denying that fact. Rufus didn't exactly trust Flynn either, but that didn't mean that Rufus was about to push the envelope and potentially get killed for speaking his mind.

Flynn simply looked at Wyatt and asked, "Shall we? Or would you rather debate this and let the sleepers get in there first?"

Wyatt sighed. "Fine. Just follow _my_ lead. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," Flynn replied with a mock salute.

As the two of the started carefully towards the camouflaged hut, Rufus asked, "Why would you suggest they go together? Are you trying to get them killed?"

"I highly doubt they'll get killed by that woman in there," Mason replied.

Rufus shook his head as he watched Flynn and Wyatt from their hiding spot. "I'm worried more about them killing each other."

Flynn and Wyatt carefully approached the hut's door. When they stopped, they listened. They could hear Smith walking around inside, but there was only one set of footsteps. They knew she was alone.

Flynn knocked on the door, much to Wyatt's frustration. When their eyes met, Flynn mouthed, "What?"

Wyatt whispered, "I told you to follow _my_ lead."

Flynn gave him a half hearted shrug and waited.

The solider inside stood in the doorway, rifle pointed at them until she saw the uniforms they were, then she lowered her weapon. She looked between the two of them. "What are you doing out here?"

"Are you Dorothy Lawrence?" Wyatt asked.

Flynn looked over at his fellow team mate. "No decorum, I see."

Wyatt shook his head, ignoring Flynn. "Are you?" he asked again.

The soldier's face fell. "Who told you?"

"No one," Wyatt stated. "I've been a soldier too long, I knew that you weren't who you said you were."

"So what," she asked, letting them into the hut, which they followed her inside. "What are you going to do now? Turn me in to the officers?"

"Why are you even out here - risking your life?" Flynn asked.

She looked between the two of them. "I'm a journalist. Well," she stopped to think before adding, "I'm going to be. I'm out here to show people what war is really like. I'm out here to show to our country that women can do any job as good, if not better, than any man."

Wyatt asked, "And what's the real reason?"

She looked offended. "Excuse me?"

"You can't be that naive-" Wyatt was cut off.

Flynn interjected, "Wyatt!"

Wyatt ignored him. "No, I'm serious. Why are you really out here? You're risking your life on the front lines of war to prove that you're just as capable as any man?" He studied her face before asking softer, "Are you a spy?"

Lawrence looked angry. "You're calling me a spy?"

"I'm asking you," Wyatt stated. "I'm looking for clarification."

Flynn stepped aside and looked outside. He could see Mason and Rufus still hiding in the brush where they left them, but movement caught Flynn's eyes. Just a few yards from Mason and Rufus was a small band of men approaching the hidden hut. The two had seen them too late and were hunkering down to stay hidden from them. There would have been no chance of them giving them a heads up, even if they wanted to.

Flynn turned his attention to Wyatt. "We've got company."

Wyatt rushed to Flynn's side and peered out the window. He saw what Flynn had just moments ago. Wyatt turned back to Dorothy. "There are bad people coming for you. I need you to be completely honest with me-"

Flynn, once again, asked, "Is this really the right time for this kind of talk?"

Wyatt ignored him and kept his focus on Dorothy. "What do you know that would risk your life?"

She remained firm in her belief. "I don't know anything."  
Gunfire rained down onto the hut. The three inside dodged for cover. Wyatt was shielding Dorothy with his body. She had released startled shrieks as the gunfire continued to tear the hut apart.

She shouted, "Why is the enemy this far from their line?"

"These aren't your enemies!" Wyatt shouted back.

"What does that mean?" she screamed back at him, completely confused.

When the gunfire stopped, a voice shouted from outside, "We know you're in there! Come on out Miss Lawrence!"

Flynn smirked as he peered carefully through one of the bullet holes. He whispered to Wyatt, "There's three of them. They haven't spotted Rufus or Mason yet."

"Can you take them out?" Wyatt asked.

Flynn turned his attention to Wyatt. "What happened to you being the leader of this little operation?"

Wyatt wanted to roll his blue eyes. Instead, he gritted his teeth. "Will you take them out? Consider _that_ an order."

Flynn shook his head, clearly amused. "Not all of them. The moment that I fire on them, they could level this place to the ground."

"Do I need to remind you of our firepower?" the person outside shouted again. Before anyone had a chance to respond, they fired upon the hut again, causing every one to hunker down inside again, shielding themselves once more.

Dorothy shouted, "I think I can save you both if you just let me go out there!"

Wyatt covered his head as debris flew all around him. He shouted back, "They'll kill you!"

When the bullets ceased, Dorothy shouted, "I'm coming out! Hold your fire!"

Flynn looked at her in disbelief. "What are you doing?"

"What?" she started. "Afraid to be save by a woman?" She glanced between Wyatt and Flynn. "This is what I was meant to do; why I am out here to begin with. Women don't always need to be rescued - sometimes, we have to do the rescuing."

With that, she slowly exited the bullet riddled hut with her hands raised to her shoulders. Flynn watched the armed men outside the hut, still aiming their weapons at the approaching, defenseless Dorothy Lawrence. When she reached the group of armed men, they exchanged words.

Wyatt quietly crawled over to Flynn and peeked through the opening in the hut to watch. He whispered, "What are they saying?"

Flynn furrowed his brow. "I can't make out anything."

They tied Dorothy's hands together and started to escort her through the woods, back in the direction from which they most likely came from. When they were a good pace ahead of them, Flynn and Wyatt exited the hut and began to careful follow the group, with Mason and Rufus quickly, but carefully and quietly, falling into step with them.

Rufus asked, "Are you guys okay? Why were they shooting at the hut? What do they want with her?"

Wyatt shook his head. "I don't know, but we're going to find out."

The four trailed the group of unsuspecting soldiers who had taken Dorothy Lawrence prisoner. History was already changing and it was safe to assume the armed men were the Rittenhouse sleeper agents.

The trek through the woods led the four men to another cabin of sorts, a few miles away from Dorothy's hidden hut. As they took cover behind a hedgerow, they spied the group through the branches.

The group of men didn't seem interested in killing Dorothy, because if they had, they would have killed her already. As they watched, Mason whispered, "Lucy did suggest that it was possible that Dorothy knew more than her memoir led people to believe. Maybe she is a spy or sleeper."

"No," Wyatt stated. "Not a sleeper. They wouldn't have fired on her if that was the case." He turned to look at the faces of his team. "Well, why would they shoot at her if she was one of them?"

Rufus shook his head. "Because they're crazy?"

Flynn gritted his teeth, saying nothing. He simply waited and observed. He was silently racking his brain, trying to think on what he had read about Dorothy Lawrence in the journal that Lucy gave him all those years ago. So far, he was drawing a blank.

Mason asked, "So, what do we do? What's the plan here?"

Rufus muttered, "Please don't let it be running in with guns blazing."

Wyatt said, "We get into position and see if we can hear anything. Maybe even do a rescue op."

Rufus sighed. "Running in, guns blazing..."

Wyatt looked at the rest of the team. "Ready?"

Rufus shook his head no, but followed reluctantly behind Flynn and Wyatt. Mason walked in sync with Rufus. He had the same thoughts and feelings as Rufus, but he remained silent. Complaining wasn't becoming for someone like himself, even though he tended to do it anyways.

They carefully approached the cabin. They positioned themselves against the outside wall of the cabin, where they had a small window above them, and a crack in the wall, just big enough to sneak a peek inside and hear very faintly the conversations that were taking place.

Inside the cabin, along with Dorothy and the group of men who had taken her hostage, was a familiar face to the team. Emma.

Emma was standing in the middle of the room, a few armed guards were also seen in the room. They were able to hear the cadence of the voices speaking, but no one could hear the words that were being said through the crack in the wall.

Wyatt mouthed the plan to Flynn and the others. He wanted to circle around to the back of the cabin and come in through the back. He wanted Flynn and himself to be the point men, while Mason and Rufus were to come in behind them, taking the guns from the killed men to join the fight. If all went according to plan, they'd be able to secure Dorothy Lawrence and take out Emma. If things went perfectly, they were hoping to secure the Mothership as well.

Rufus wanted to play devil's advocate and remind Wyatt that nothing had ever gone smoothly or perfectly for them before. They shouldn't be thinking about the Mothership, nor trying to kill Emma, whom he knew wouldn't go down without a fight or at least without killing Dorothy.

Mason, of course, agreed with Rufus and had suggested that the two of them stay out of the battle, securing their backs from outside.

Flynn was the only one who agreed to the plan, but allowing Connor and Rufus to stay out of the way. If anything, Flynn was growing impatient. He was growing weary of playing by Wyatt's rules. So far, Wyatt's plans had only succeeded in getting their target taken hostage and now they were outnumbered.

Flynn looked back at Wyatt and added his own suggestion. If for whatever reason, this plan were to not succeed or quickly unravel at the seams while they were in the middle of trying to carry it out, they would switch tactics and follow _his_ lead instead.

Wyatt had gritted his teeth, showing his displeasure in the idea of Flynn leading this mission, but reluctantly nodded, praying that they wouldn't have to adjust their plan. The last thing he wanted to do was to hand over control to the very man he felt started it all - his enemy.

The two nodded and they started towards the back door of the cabin, weapons drawn. Once they reached the door, Wyatt kicked the door in with one fluid motion, allowing entrance inside for Flynn. After Flynn rushed in, Wyatt followed.

Several armed guards within the cabin began firing their weapons upon the two. Flynn and Wyatt dove for cover, returning fire. Wyatt noted that there were six men, including Emma, firing at them. He knew that they would have to be careful with their aim if they were to succeed in taking control of the situation or they would potentially run out of ammo before all the enemy were killed.

Flynn had already managed to take out two while Wyatt had just started to zero in on Emma. He caught a glimpse of a man emerging from his cover to take a shot at him, but he was just a hair quicker. While that man managed to hit Wyatt in the arm, it was a graze, whereas the shot Wyatt let loose, killed his target.

Emma had sought cover near the front door. She fired her pistol at the two. When she realized that her companions were beginning to die, leaving her at a greater risk of failure, she scanned the room in search of Dorothy Lawrence. The moment her eyes landed on the bound woman on the opposite end of the room, she aimed her pistol towards her.

Wyatt caught a glimpse of where Emma was aiming and came rushing out from his cover, unloading his clip towards her. Emma recoiled, unable to get a shot out. She flung the door open to the cabin and took off towards the woods.

Flynn emerged from his cover, spying the dead men within, silently counting the bodies that lay on the ground. None had survived. Except Emma. He really hated that woman ever since her betrayal to him.

Pushing thoughts of Emma and her antics aside, Flynn approached the bound woman on the floor. He knelt down and asked as he began undoing the ropes around her wrists, "Are you all right?"

Dorothy nodded, still in shock and fright. "What kind of weapons are those?"

Flynn ignored the comment and tossed the rope aside. "You have some explaining to do." He stood up and waited for her to explain. When she didn't immediately start speaking, he asked, "What did those people want with you?"

Dorothy stood up, rubbing her achy wrists. There were rope burns on her skin. She stated, "I don't know how you know so much about me, but..." her voice trailed when she saw Rufus and Connor enter the room. She noted that Flynn and Wyatt hadn't reacted to their entrance and assumed they were with them. She continued, "I am not a spy."

"So, if you're not a spy," Wyatt asked. "Who are you?"

She swallowed. "No one." Her eyes bore into Wyatt's. "I swear."

"Then why are they after you?" he questioned. He leaned closer to her. "I'm a soldier. I know when someone is lying to hide something."

When she didn't answer right away, Flynn ran a hand through his black hair before leaning close to her. "Listen closely," he spoke through gritted teeth. "Those people who are after you won't stop unless we stop them. We can't stop them unless we know why they're after you." Dorothy's eyes flitted up to meet Flynn's. He added, "Do you see our dilemma? So, do yourself a favor and let us help you."

She was nervous, this much anyone could tell. She glanced about the four faces that stood in front of her. Releasing a heavy and defeated sigh, she started, "I stumbled upon something - something I don't think anyone was meant to find."

"Which was?" Wyatt asked impatiently as he wrapped the graze on his arm.

She licked her lips and spoke in barely a whisper in case anyone else may be listening, "Tea."

"What?" Wyatt asked, confused. He and Rufus exchanged glances.

She nodded. "I found a supply crate of tea in the forest. I was supposed to lay mines in that area, but when I found the crate, I feared what would happen if I was caught there." She looked at the men adding, "I ran. I didn't look back." She looked out the window, standing up to get a better view before continuing. "I had forgotten about it until about a day later when a couple of the men in my unit had returned with the supply crate...they were behaving as though drugged. They were sluggish, behaving irrationally... I realized then that they had helped themselves to it. I never would have thought that the tea would have been laced with something - I mean, they were in our supply drops."

She turned around to face the four men once more. She sighed. "They went to sleep and never woke up. I don't know if it was the tea they ingested or if it was something else, but..." her voice trailed off. She gathered her thoughts before blinking back to the present.

She stopped talking. It seemed as though she was afraid to continue. Connor carefully pushed her. "What did you discover?" When her eyes met his, he added, "You're safe here. You can trust us."

She glanced back out the window. "I've heard stories about opium laced tea...but I never thought in a million years that I would see it first hand - especially here, on the front lines."

"What are you saying?" Rufus asked. "There's a supply of opium tea being distributed to the men on the lines?" He turned to Flynn, Wyatt, and Mason. "That's crazy. What's the point of that? What would Rittenhouse need with an opium tea?"

Flynn had been silent during her speech. He was busy formulating a reason behind Rittenhouse's motives. He finally spoke, "Opium doesn't grow well outside the Mediterranean. If Rittenhouse hopes to turn the tides of war in their favor - whatever that may be - what better way than to drug the soldiers who lived and died defending a country that would stand against them?"

"You think they're trying to drug every single soldier fighting in World War I?" Wyatt asked, almost in disbelief. He felt this idea was far stretched.

Flynn shrugged. "The English love their tea. It's what keeps them civilized. It would be easy to lace tea with raw opium in this day and age."

"How do you know so much about opium?" Rufus asked. Flynn raised an eyebrow at Rufus. Rufus sighed, "I wish Lucy were here. She'd know for sure."

Wyatt shook his head. He couldn't make sense of what was happening. He felt the same sentiment as Rufus. If Lucy were here, she would know what to do, what the purpose of all of this would be. She'd have the answer. It was frustrating to him that he couldn't just look at her and have the answer handed to him.

Mason asked, "So, what do we do now?"

"We find the supply and destroy it," Flynn suggested. He turned to Dorothy and asked, "Do you know where it is now?"

Wyatt held a hand out, silencing Dorothy before she could answer. He held his gaze on Flynn. "Just a damned minute," he started. "We don't even know if that's what Rittenhouse is doing out here to begin with. This is all speculation."

Dorothy cleared her throat, nervously awaiting her chance to speak. When the men turned their attention towards her, she spoke, "That red haired woman was at the distribution center." She glanced between Flynn and Wyatt before suggesting, "I could lead you there, easily. As long as you let me stay with the men in my unit afterwards."

Flynn had agreed to her demands, whereas Wyatt had voted against. The two were once again, glaring at each other. There seemed to be no middle ground between these two. Rufus had chimed in, "Why don't you take us there, and if everything goes according to plan, we'll see what we can do to get you back to your unit?"

Dorothy had nodded and began to make her way across the cabin. Rufus looked at Flynn and Wyatt, silently begging them to get on the same page and soon so that they could all go home.

The group had set out towards the supply station. It wasn't long before they had stumbled upon another group of soldiers, but none lived. The team, Dorothy included, began to examine the men. There were no signs of struggle, no obvious wounds or bullet holes. Their lips had a slight bluish tint to them. Upon careful examination, every man in the group was holding, or near a tea cup.

Dorothy shook her head. "We might be too late..."

"We still have a chance to stop it from getting worse," Wyatt stated. "We just need to find that woman and the tainted supply."

Dorothy looked at them. "How do you know she's behind it?"

"Because," Wyatt started. "She's a spy."

"She sounded an awful lot like you lot," she retorted. Then she waved her hand at Flynn and Mason, adding, "Except you two."

Mason said, "You have to trust us."

"Why should I?" she asked.

"For starters," Mason said. "We didn't turn you in to the commanding officers. We're just trying to stop this before it gets worse."

Dorothy studied the men carefully before nodding. She looked down at the dead soldiers and said, "Then we best hurry. Who knows how many are already dead because of this."

Before they continued on towards the supply station, they checked the supplies of those deceased soldiers. They found the crate full of the tea supply. Flynn opened one of the pouches and examined the contents inside. He nodded and poured it into his palm to show the others. "There's the opium."

The others peered into the pile of crushed leaves and herbs, not sure what they were looking for. Rufus asked, "So...what am I looking for?"

Flynn held back an eye roll. With his free hand, he pointed to the small orange-ish flakes intermixed with the dried leaves. "That's the opium."

"That?" Wyatt asked. "I thought that was honey or orange zest or something."

Mason chuckled. "Not much of a tea drinker, are you?"

Flynn dropped the handful of tea back into the pouch, then dropped the pouch into the crate. He glanced about the area, asking, "Do you see any more, or is this it?"

Once everyone finished looking and gathering any loose pouches of tea, the team set fire to the crate filled with tainted tea. They even burned the mugs the soldiers used, just on the off chance they were to be looted by some other passersby. They left it burn as they continued onwards.


	4. Let Me Know The Truth

The trek from the abandoned cabin to the supply depot took a few miles and hours later. When they approached the supply depot just outside the nearest city, Dorothy stopped. She pointed to the center of the town and said, "There's the city. There's a supply tent just on the outskirts."

Mason asked, "So, what? Are we just going to walk in there and ask to see their tea?" When everyone turned to look at him, he shrugged, eyes wide before adding, "It's not like their going to hand it over now, are they?"

Dorothy replied, "We might be able to ask for rations. Then we should see where they are holding the tea."

"And if they refuse?" Rufus asked. He eyed the others before saying mostly to himself, "Please don't say that we're going to go running in, guns blazing-"

Wyatt stated, "We go to Plan B."

Rufus muttered as he followed the rest into the town, "Running in, guns blazing..."

Mason shook his head as he heard the heavy sigh come from his friend.

Once they reached the resupply depot, Dorothy took point. She approached the officer in charge. After saluting, she said, "Private Smith with the 1st. I'm here to gather supplies for the line."

The commanding officer looked her up and down, then eyed the group of men standing behind her. He studied his paperwork on his clipboard. Without raising his eyes, he said, "I'm not seeing that you're scheduled for resupply at this time."

"I understand that sir," she started. "But my commander sent me here personally to gather our supplies. We've been hit harder these past few weeks-"

"I don't care if you're the bloody Queen," the man stated, finally glaring at her. "You're not on the list for resupply, boy."

Wyatt stepped forward. "We've come a long way to bring these supplies back. Our commander won't be happy to hear that you've rejected his orders." Wyatt looked at his rank and added, "Sergeant. And besides, if we have to leave and come back here, it might not help your cause any."

The man furrowed his brow at Wyatt. "And when, pray tell, did you Yanks suddenly decide to make your presence known?" Before Wyatt could retort, the man stated, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're spies."

"No sir," Dorothy quickly stated. "We're just tired. It's been a long and hard journey to get here." She turned and pointed to Mason. "He's got trench foot." She pointed to Rufus and said, "He's got fainting fits from not eating enough." She turned back to the Sergeant. "There are more on our line that are worse and couldn't make the trip out here. Even being away from the line, even for ten minutes feels like a lifetime. So please," she begged. "Please, just... help us out here."

The man studied the group before him. He sighed, asking Dorothy questions about the unit as he scribbled down the information onto his clipboard. He waved them into the tent. "This way."

They followed the man into the tent. Crates and boxes were stacked high within the confines of the tent, neatly organized. As they rounded the corner, they were ambushed by a group of soldiers, aiming their weapons at them.

The team, including the Sergeant and Dorothy, held their hands up as Emma and her agents who were disguised as troopers, approached them, taking their weapons away. Emma smirked at the group. "I can't even say that I'm surprised to see you here."

The Sergeant demanded, "Who are you people? How did you get in here?"

Emma ignored his questions. She faced the group, gun aimed at them. "I have to say, I am a bit impressed that you figured it out without good ol' Princess Lucy's help."

"Like it was hard?" Wyatt taunted. "You've gotten sloppy."

Rufus muttered under his breath, "What are you doing? Don't piss her off!"

Emma smiled. "You're too late, you know..."

"What do you mean?" Dorothy asked, fearing the answer. "Too late for what?"

Emma replied, "The tea's been distributed. It won't be too much longer before the soldiers succumb to the poison."

"Poison?" the Sergeant asked shocked and confused. "What are you talking about? What poison?"

Emma sighed, rolling her green eyes, clearly frustrated and annoyed with the man. She aimed her gun at his head and pulled the trigger. Hot blood splattered onto Flynn and Dorothy's jackets. They watched as the man's body collapsed to the floor, bright red blood pooling out around their feet. Dorothy shrieked.

When Emma pointed her gun at Dorothy, Wyatt shouted, "Wait! Wait!" Emma paused, curious as to what Wyatt could possibly have to say. He asked, "At least tell us what the purpose of this is... why would you want to kill a bunch of soldiers who are most likely going to die in this war anyways?"

Lowering her gun, she laughed. "You really haven't a clue, do you?" She scanned their blank faces. "Oh, how much you rely on Lucy...Speaking of Lucy, where is she?" Emma asked as she looked around the team. When no one spoke, she smirked. "It doesn't matter, we'll get to her eventually...now, you want to know why we're here? Why the opium matters?" When the team waited patiently, she continued, "Opium is a problem in our timeline. It's a daily war for some who are addicted to it. Opium dens are booming all over the world."

"So what?" Wyatt asked, carefully. "You're going to jumpstart the war on opium?"

She scoffed. "You think too small, Wyatt. There's a bigger picture to all of this than you can possibly imagine."

"Explain it," he said. "If we're not seeing the bigger picture, then what is it?"

She sighed, raising an eyebrow at them. "Not that I need to explain anything to you, but..." she thought for a moment before continuing. "We have a lot of powerful allies who have become quite addicted to the stuff. It's rendered them useless to us."

Flynn was the first to connect the dots. "You're changing history to wipe opium from the map so you have your contacts back."

"Ding-ding!" She chimed, looking over at him. "Do you want a gold star?"

Rufus looked confused. "But... how is opium here going to change history enough for opium to be wiped away in our timeline? I don't understand." He looked at her and added, "Besides, isn't that a good thing? Since when does Rittenhouse do things for good instead of evil?"

She shot him an annoyed glance. "Again, you're so small minded." She raised her gun back at the group. "It's a wonder how you people have managed to keep up with us for this long."

Just as Emma was about to pull the trigger on her gun, which was pointed at Dorothy, a group of soldiers came into the tent. They saw the situation and began opening fire on Emma and her men. Every one dodged for cover.

While the exchange of firepower raged on within the tent, the team had no options other than laying low and keeping an eye out for an opportunity to take control back.

Dorothy cringed behind supply crates as the bullets whizzed by. Her eyes landed on a lantern. She scrambled forward and grabbed it, pulling it back towards the group. She turned the flame up and looked at Wyatt. He nodded, taking the lantern from her and chucking it over the boxes they were hiding behind.

Flames erupted against the supply crates on the opposite end of the tent. Screams and shouts were heard. Flynn and Wyatt watched as Emma and her team retreated from the tent. The soldiers who had come in to, in a way, save the day, had started pulling their wounded out of the tent.

Cries for fire were heard outside, and buckets of water began to emerge. The soldiers were trying desperately to save the supply station they had worked so hard to keep up and running.

Dorothy and the team took off out of the tent, hands raised as they exited for they were greeted by the members of the British Forces. She immediately began explaining that they were ambushed by a group of Nazi spies and the tea supply was tainted; that they had stumbled upon a group of their own men who were already dead from it.

The team stood by, waiting to hear what was happening. Dorothy approached them. She stopped a few feet from them and explained what she told the commanding officer at the supply station.

Rufus asked, "So, what happens now?"

She replied, "Orders are being sent out now to all companies to destroy their tea supplies. It might be too late for some, but at least those who didn't have the tainted tea might survive long enough to end this war."

"What about you?" Mason asked. "What will you do?"

"I'm going to go back to the lines, make sure that my men are safe, and then..." she trailed off for a moment. "Then I will write my article about the spies who infiltrated our supply stations to try and poison the men."

"After all this, you're still planning on staying out here to prove a point?" Wyatt asked.

She smiled at him. "I have a purpose now - clearer than when I started. I'm going to see it through to the end. I have you all to thank for that." Just as they were about to go their separate ways, she stopped and asked, "I have one question though. What did that woman mean by "our timeline"?"

The team exchanged glances and Mason cleared his throat. "She's crazy. I wouldn't listen to much of what she had to say." That answer seemed to make sense to Dorothy, though she seemed not to believe it fully. Graciously, she said nothing more and watched as the team took their leave.

 **Present Day**

The computers were beeping rapidly, the tables were vibrating, then suddenly, the Lifeboat popped back into view. Loud whirring was heard before it started to slow down and stop.

Agent Christopher and Lucy approached the steps that sat before the Lifeboat, anxiously waiting on the team to emerge. Jiya and Tenley stayed by the monitors and waited.

The door to the Lifeboat opened, and one by one, the team exited. Mason was the first one out. He stretched slightly before he descended the steps.

"How was it?" Christopher asked.

Mason shook his head. "Not the England I remember."

Christopher shook her head. Wyatt was next, then Flynn, and Rufus. She looked up at them and asked again, "How'd it go?"

Wyatt looked between Lucy and Agent Christopher. "You tell me... what does history say now about Dorothy Lawrence?"

Lucy's smile was wide. "She's amazing. Did you actually meet her?"

Wyatt furrowed his brow at her. "Yeah..."

Before Lucy could ask any other questions, Rufus asked, "Did she still die alone in that mental hospital?"

"Oh my God!" Lucy exclaimed. "That's what happened in our original timeline?" When Rufus nodded, she stated, "She's a brilliant journalist. She had written a best selling memoir about her time on the line, disguised as a man, and how she single-handedly took down a Nazi plot to poison all of the English troops with tea."

"Single-handedly, huh?" Wyatt asked, clearly frustrated.

"So, do we still need to get some poppies to show our appreciation in November?" Rufus said mostly in jest.

Lucy looked at him confused. "What?"

"Poppies," Mason stated. "Are what we use in England to show gratitude and remembrance for the soldiers who served and died in WWI."

Lucy shook her head. "No, it's not." When the team looked confused, she explained, "It's the carnation. Poppies were outlawed over the opium tea assassination plot."

"So, there's no opium war raging on in the world?" Wyatt asked.

Tenley spoke up. "Opium hasn't been in production since the early 1930s." When the team looked at her, almost in shock to hear what she said, she added, "They teach this part of history to us in our first couple of years in Med School."

Wyatt exchanged glances with the team before saying, "Then, we might have failed our mission."

"What do you mean?" Christopher asked.

Wyatt stated, "Emma said something about doing this so that opium addiction would be non-existent in our timeline. Looks like she succeeded."

"But that doesn't make sense," Lucy started. "Because they're-"

Rufus cut her off. "Because they're evil and this is something good for mankind?" When Lucy nodded at him, he added, "Yeah, I said that too."

"Emma said that they had important contacts that were addicted to opium and they were useless to them in that stage. I think she changed history for the better to have access to these...contacts," Flynn stated.

Denise asked, "How do we know that she was telling the truth?"

"Why would she lie about something like that?" Lucy asked, turning to Agent Christopher.

Christopher was about to interject when Wyatt stated, "I think she thought that she had the upper hand on us back there...I think she got cocky and spilled the beans early. She was fully intent on killing all of us."

Christopher nodded slowly, taking it all in. "One good deed always has something else attached to it. We'll figure it out later." She looked up and said, "Good work, as always. Get some rest."

As the team started to disperse, Tenley approached Flynn. She noticed the blood splatter on his jacket, but realized that it wasn't his blood. She worried though, that his own wound might not be healing well since his trip through time. "I was hoping that I could take a look at your wound? Make sure that it's healing all right?"

Flynn nodded. "Lead the way." He didn't want to have a check-up as he was ready to sleep, but he knew that if he didn't go willingly with her, she'd pester him until she laid eyes on the wound.

They walked in silence to the infirmary. Once inside, she ordered, "Take your jacket off, please." He did as he was told, sitting down on the exam table as he waited. She approached him and started putting gloves on her hands. "Mind lifting your shirt for me?" He lifted it up over the bandage and watched as she carefully felt around the dressing before peeling a corner down and taking a peek inside. She asked, "How's it feeling?"

He replied, "It's sore, but fine." When her dark eyes met his, he repeated, "I'm fine."

She nodded slowly, taking in his words. "Okay. Just...take it easy, okay?" He returned the nod as he lowered his shirt. She asked, "Are you in any pain?"

"Nothing I can't handle," he stated.

She let a soft sigh out. "Okay...I guess you're good to go."

He hopped off the table and started for the door. It was only after he left that she remembered that she wanted to ask him about his use of the word "Nine" before he left. She decided that it wasn't worth asking about anymore, especially since it had happened once.

Just as Flynn had left, Wyatt had entered. He motioned to his arm. "Mind taking a look at this, if you have a moment?"

Tenley motioned him over to the exam table. She could clearly see that he had already dressed the wound in the field, but upon further inspection, it was only a graze. She set to the task of getting it cleaned up and bandaged.

Rufus looked through one of the history books that Lucy had in her room. He read through page after page on Dorothy Lawrence. He chuckled as he said, "I can't believe that she has whole chapters written about her."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked in genuine interest.

Rufus studied a picture of the woman as he explained, "There wasn't anything out there about her, other than a few paragraphs. Before we left, you told us that she had been tortured as a spy, forced to sign some kind of affidavit to keep quiet about what she saw, then died all alone in a mental hospital...you said it was mysterious to you."

"Sounds like it would be," she admitted. "I can't imagine someone living a life like you're describing, especially because of everything that she has done for the world. I mean, she helped end the first World War by exposing what she assumed the Nazi spies were trying to do. It saved millions of lives, not just during the war, but after."

Rufus closed the book and handed it back to Lucy. He asked, "Do you think that Rittenhouse is trying to do good? I mean, getting rid of the opium crisis is a good thing, right?"

Lucy thought about it for a moment. "I think that's a good side effect for the world, but what does that mean for their plans? You guys said that Emma mentioned contacts that were addicted to opium and that's why she was doing it, right? Who's to say these contacts are worse than they are?"

Rufus shuddered to think about it. "Let's hope they're not."

Lucy mulled over the details that the team had shared with her. She wished that she would have been able to go on the mission, just so she'd have the true history to reflect on. She couldn't imagine living in a world so ravaged by opium and thought that maybe it was for the best that she didn't know about it. But curiosity always got the better of her.

Rufus pointed out, "You're thinking pretty hard about something."

Lucy's concentration was broken. "Sorry, I'm just trying to understand what their motives are behind all of this."

"Rittenhouse?" Rufus asked. When Lucy nodded, he suggested, "Maybe they aren't as evil as we think." After Lucy and Rufus exchanged doubtful glances, he burst into a small laugh. "What am I saying? They're evil. Who knows what they are up to?"

Lucy smiled up at Rufus just as he started to take his leave of her room. She sat there, trying to think of a reason for Rittenhouse to do what they were doing. She tried to think back to conversations with her mother when she was being held against her will to do Rittenhouse's bidding. She realized that her mother hadn't trusted her enough to tell her much of anything - especially when it involved any of their allies and contacts.

She stood up and put the book that Rufus was looking through back on her shelf. It had it's place, just like all the other books. Occasionally, Lucy would pull all the books off her shelf, just to reorganize them, but they'd always end up back on the shelf in the same place they were before. She believed it to be calming and almost therapy for her anxiety regarding these travels through time.

A knock on her door broke her concentration. She turned to see who was visiting her now. Flynn poked his head into her room. "Mind if I join you for a moment?" She nodded and he stepped inside. He stood near the door, with his hands in his pants pockets. "I wanted to see how you're doing."

She narrowed her brown eyes at him. "I'm fine...thanks for asking?"

He smirked slightly, but she could tell there was something on his mind. She waited a moment to see if he'd continue. When he finally spoke again, he admitted, "I wanted to talk to you about something that happened on the mission."

"Okay," she said, sitting down, waiting to hear what he had to say. She figured that it was related to Dorothy Lawrence and was about to pull the book back out from it's place on the shelf.

"It's something that Emma said when we were ambushed," he started. He looked at her and sighed. "I think they're planning something terrible for you."

"What do you mean, 'something terrible'?" she asked for clarification.

He shifted in his place. "She was looking specifically for you and questioned why you weren't there. She also said that they'd get to you eventually." He shrugged. "It might just be her normal threat, but it sounded different than the threats in the past, more ominous."

Lucy slowly nodded, taking in this information. "Thanks...?"

He studied her face. "I won't let anything happen-"

She cut him off. "I know." She realized her voice seemed a bit sharp, so she added, "Neither will anyone else."

An awkward silence fell upon the room and he took this moment to nod his goodbye and exit her room. She sat there, blinking at that evening's events. Her mind was racing, trying desperately to gather facts, to make sense of everything, but it wasn't like it was the history she knew - things were changing and she wasn't keeping up. She could feel her anxiety levels rising, so she started to pull her books off the shelf, dust them, organize them, and place them back onto the shelf. For some reason, her mind couldn't calm down.

She headed out of her room, towards the one place she thought might be able to help her out with her anxiety.


	5. Calm Before The Storm

**A/N: Thank you Guest and Emer for your reviews. Love hearing from my readers.**

 **Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Tenley sighed as she slumped onto the couch in the infirmary. She stared up at the dingy ceiling. Her mind started to drift to thoughts of home, places that were cleaner and more comfortable than this. Internally, she was kicking herself for complaining. She had been to third world countries. She's slept in filth, mud, dust, and a variety of places that made the bunker seem like the Ritz-Carlton hotel. She felt guilty for complaining.

A knock landed on her door before it opened. She looked over her shoulder to see Lucy walking in slowly. Lucy seemed shocked to see that Tenley was resting. She asked, "Am I interrupting?"

Tenley sat up straight. "No, no...not at all. What's up?"

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest, almost protectively. Tenley watched her body language carefully and could instantly tell how uncomfortable Lucy was. Lucy admitted, "I was wondering if you had anything for anxiety?"

Tenley stood up. "Are you okay? How bad is it?"

Lucy didn't budge from her spot. "I can feel it rising."

"How long has this been going on?" Tenley probed. She didn't want to just give meds away, willy-nilly, especially if it was just a small case of nerves. She understood, somewhat, what she might be faced with. She was informed briefly about how Lucy's mother and the rest of her blood family were the masterminds behind the whole Rittenhouse exploits.

Lucy shrugged. "It's been going on for a while...usually I can manage it on my own, but...I'm having trouble." She stopped and shook her head. "You know what, just forget it. I'm sorry that I bothered you."

"Wait," Tenley said, just before Lucy could dash out of the room. "I can give you something to help you relax...It's habit for me to ask and screen patients."

Lucy smirked. "Am I your patient?"

Tenley gave a half shrug. "I guess all of you are now." She walked up to her cabinet of medications and started to remove the pill bottle that she needed and promptly held out the capsule for Lucy. She asked, "Do you need some water?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, thank you." She paused at the door and admitted, "Thank you for this...I appreciate it."

Tenley nodded and watched as Lucy took her leave. Tenley began to wonder just how much this time traveling ordeal was taking its toll on the team. She couldn't begin to imagine all that they've witnessed, endured, and had to deal with after the fact. She worried that perhaps everyone was struggling, somehow, with everything. She wasn't a psychiatrist, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to help them cope with it as well as one could, but she knew that she'd have to allow them the opportunity to talk to her as though she was one if they needed to. The problem was letting the team know about it without offending them.

Tenley sighed, rubbing her face with her hands. She was tired, but her mind was racing with all of these new thoughts and ideas. She stood up and exited her room, heading for the common living area. She needed coffee, or at the very least, some tea to help settle her down long enough to work until she was tired.

As she walked down the corridors of the bunker, she noted how quiet everything was. There wasn't even the faintest sound of conversations to be heard. When she turned into the common living area, she approached the coffee pot. Lifting the carafe out of the warmer, she felt how empty it was. Hopeful, she shook the carafe gently, hoping to hear the sounds of a few dregs left inside...but her luck wasn't with her. She sighed, putting the carafe back down. She set to the task of looking for tea bags and a mug.

Watching her from across the room was Flynn. He had set himself up in one of the chairs with a book and the last bits of coffee from the pot. It wasn't even that good, which meant that Wyatt had made it last. Flynn had a knack of being able to tell who made the coffee for the day based on how it tasted and how strong it was. Wyatt's always tasted burnt and it wasn't very strong. Rufus, Jiya, and Mason were the ones who always made a full pot of incredibly strong coffee. Flynn believed it to be because they were always up late working on the Machines and computers; they had to be sharp and alert. The way they made the coffee, it certainly would wake anyone up for good. Agent Christopher was never in early enough to make the coffee and from his observations, she always brought her coffee from home. Lucy usually drank whatever was made without complaint, so he wasn't sure she knew how to make coffee.

Watching the young doctor struggling to find something to drink, Flynn finally announced his presence. "If you're looking for tea," he paused to see a startled doctor whirl around to look at him. He continued, "They put the tea in the tin canister on that shelf above the coffee pot."

Tenley turned her attention away from Flynn and looked over to the shelf he spoke of. She grabbed the tin off the shelf and opened it. There were plenty of loose tea bags inside. She didn't care what the flavor was; she just needed something. She reached inside and removed one, replacing the tin back onto the shelf.

She turned to face Flynn. "Mugs?"

He pointed behind her. "Right behind you in that cupboard."

"Thanks," she said, turning to open the cupboard to retrieve a mug. She filled the mug with some water, dropped the bag inside, and placed the mug into the microwave. She pushed a few buttons on the panel and the microwave turned on.

Flynn smirked and asked, "Impatient?"

She furrowed her brow at him, turning to face his direction. "Come again?"

"You're not boiling water," he pointed out. "I'm asking if you're impatient."

She shrugged. "Microwaving gets the job done, just as easily."

"Not as hot," he stated.

She shrugged again. He noted that she seemed to do that when uncomfortable. "I'm not one for blazing hot tea anyways." The microwave chimed to alert everyone that it was finished. She opened the door and removed her mug. She closed the door, turned to face Flynn once more and took a sip. She smiled. "Perfect temperature." She raised her mug towards him. "See you around."

He returned the gesture with his own mug, watching her walk back down the corridor. He chuckled, shaking his head as he returned to his book.

Tenley walked back towards her room when she bumped into Connor. She stopped and asked, "Where is everyone?"

Connor looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean," she started. "Aside from Flynn and you, I haven't seen anyone else around."

Connor looked at his watch. "Well, it is shortly before midnight," he stated. "Most people are in bed."

"Except you and Flynn, it would seem," she pointed out.

He smiled at her. "And you."

She nodded. "And me."

"Perhaps," he suggested. "We are just the ones who are night owls."

"And everyone else are morning people?" she asked.

He smirked. "Agent Christopher certainly is."

"Where is she?" Tenley asked. "I don't remember Jiya pointing out her room."

"That's because," Mason started. "She goes home."  
"Wait," Tenley said. "You're telling me she's allowed to go home, but no one else is?" He nodded, giving her an almost disapproving smile. She added, "Why is that?"

Connor stated, "Rittenhouse is looking for us. They've threatened our families, our livelihood..." he paused before adding, "As painful as it may be for me to admit this," he paused again, almost cringing before finishing his thoughts. "She's right in doing this."

Tenley raised an eyebrow at him. "You seem uncomfortable saying that."

Mason chuckled. "I don't always see eye to eye with that woman, but she means well and she knows what she's doing." He looked away briefly, almost deep in thought before turning back to her. "You best get some rest, Doctor. Things happen quickly around here."

She smiled at him as he brushed passed her in the hallway. She turned and headed to her room. When she closed the door behind her, she sipped her tea. It was cold. _Great_ , she thought. _No point in drinking this now. No point in going back to heat it up, either._

Tenley tried to sleep, though her mind still raced with all the information she had thrown her way in such a short amount of time. It began to dawn on her that "time" was going to be her biggest problem to date.

The next morning came too early for most of the team - the night owls, as Mason called them. Tenley groaned as she heard voices walking past her door. Reluctantly, she got up and dressed for the day.

As she entered the common living area, the rest of the bunker were already up and gathered for breakfast. She spied Wyatt pouring coffee into mugs for people. He saw her and asked, "Coffee?"

Tenley nodded. "Please." He poured her a mug and handed it to her. She took it from him, thanked him, and took a sip of the hot liquid. Her taste buds were immediately offended by the overwhelming taste of bitter burnt coffee grounds. She turned around, thinking no one was watching, she spit the vile coffee back into the mug. She set it down on the counter, a frown appearing on her face.

Tenley felt a nudge on her upper arm, causing her to look over her shoulder. Standing next to her was Flynn. He had two mugs of coffee. He silently urged her to take the mug, whispering, "You can thank me later."

She took the mug from him and sipped it carefully, unsure of what she was in for. When the hot liquid hit her tongue, she smiled. For once, she felt like she had an incredible cup of coffee. There were no coffee grounds, no bitter burnt flavor, just flavorful rich coffee with hints of chocolate undertones in it. She smiled up at Flynn. She whispered back, "Thank you! This is amazing!"

He smirked. "Wyatt can't make coffee," he stated. "I was up early and made some. Figured you might need a pick me up after your late night last night."

"I appreciate it," she said. "I didn't get much sleep." He nodded, giving her a knowing look. She wondered how many restless nights he experienced to know what she had gone through. She sipped the coffee and looked about at the others to see how they were handling the terrible swill that Wyatt had created.

Jiya and Rufus were pouring sugar into their mugs, more than any normal person might add. Lucy had poured a lot of cream and a bit of sugar into her mug. Mason chose tea over coffee. Agent Christopher was holding her own travel mug from home. Tenley realized that no one seemed to like Wyatt's coffee. She began to wonder why no one had mentioned this to him.

People had started to disperse from the common living area. Tenley sighed, approaching Agent Christopher. When their dark eyes met, she asked, "Do you have a minute?"

"Of course," Christopher replied. "What can I do for you, Doc?"

Tenley cautiously glanced about the room to make sure that no one was within earshot before she started. "I'm concerned that the team might need psychiatric evaluations."

Denise narrowed her eyes at the young woman. "Why do you say that?"

Tenley knew that this was a delicate manner and had to tread carefully. "I've seen some of the team behaving as though they are having trouble coping with..." she thought of the words, but she was at a loss for the right words. She continued with what came to her mind. "Whatever it is they see or do in other ... " She waved her hand in the air, hoping an image would appear to help explain what she was trying so hard to say. "Time periods."

Denise stared at the girl for a moment before realizing what she was saying. "You think they're having trouble with their actions?"

"Not necessarily their actions, but...I think maybe they need an outlet," she stated. "I mean, you get to leave here every night," she said. Quickly, she added, "Plus, you don't travel through time."

"Who says that I don't travel through time?" Christopher asked, wondering what the doctor would say next.

Tenley looked taken by surprised. "Have you? Traveled, I mean, through time?"

Christopher's gaze was intense. "No. I haven't." She sighed and her face softened. "Look, I know you mean well and you haven't been here long enough to see how the team behaves when they prepare to travel or when they come back," she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "If I were you, I'd probably feel and think the same as you. Just be there for them if they need you, okay? Can you do that?" Tenley nodded and Denise added, "I know it's a lot to take in, especially in such a short amount of time. Just do the best you can."

Tenley watched as Denise took her travel mug of fresh, homemade coffee and leave.

A few hours had passed and Tenley was beginning to feel her brains melting from boredom. There was only so much that she could do to reorganize her infirmary. She began to catalog and take inventory of her medical supplies, drawing up a list of things that she felt she still needed, and a separate list of things that she wanted for her own personal use to keep boredom at bay.

Alarms started to blare throughout the bunker. It took her a moment to remember what the alarms meant. She stepped out into the corridor just in time to watch members of the team rushing towards the control station. She followed, mostly out of curiosity but also because it seemed like the thing to do.

"The Mothership jumped!" Jiya announced as people started to approach her at the computers. "It looks like... Virginia, April 15, 1607."

"1607," Lucy started. "That's Jamestown." When she looked about the group of people who were staring at her, she noted that some were drawing blanks and others seemed to have a small light bulb going off. She explained, "Jamestown...Pocahontas? Any bells?"

Christopher narrowed her brows at Lucy's behavior. She started to think back on the conversation she had with the young doctor hours before. Maybe the kid was on to something about needing psych-evals done on the team because this wasn't typical Lucy behavior. Instead of thinking too seriously on that previous conversation, she asked, "What would Rittenhouse be doing there?"

Lucy started, "Well, it's hard to say for sure, but if they're targeting Pocahontas, it's because she was practically the liaison between the English and the Powhatan Indians."

"So...what does that mean for history as we know it?" Mason asked.

Lucy thought for a moment. "She helped the first settlers there by providing them with food and other tools to keep them from dying before the settlements took off. She stopped full blown wars from breaking out between her father's tribes and the English settlements. If they are targeting her, it could be catastrophic for the early settlers and then horrific for the Native Americans when word gets back to England on what has happened."

"You're suggesting that the Native Americans would wipe out the settlements and England would send in an army to ... what? Eradicate them?" Mason questioned, almost appalled.

Lucy nodded. "I think that's exactly what would happen. If you think about it, Native Americans are thought to be savages, demons... those who wouldn't hesitate to murder you in your sleep. If Rittenhouse takes away the one person who built a bridge between two worlds, and everything that England fears of the Native Americans is true, then the King would have to resort to extreme measures to ensure that his "New World" is safe to expand his territories."

The more that Lucy spoke, the more that it made sense to the team, and Agent Christopher. When asked about what Rittenhouse would gain from doing such a thing, Lucy shrugged. She explained that everything she was saying was simply a theory. When it came to Rittenhouse, there was no certainty that this was what they were after. She mentioned that it could be that they are there to plant something in the past to use for the future, but the only way for anyone to know for certain is to go and see for themselves.

Agent Christopher nodded. "Okay. Let's get going then."

"Wait!" Tenley interrupted. When all eyes turned to her, she shifted uncomfortably under everyone's gaze. She blinked at how quickly everyone was at jumping into the Lifeboat. She stated, "I think we need to make sure that everyone is prepared for this-"

Denise interrupted her this time. "Ready for what?"

"For what?" Tenley gaped. "W-well, for starters," she paused to look around at the rest of the room. "When was the last time everyone had their immunizations?"

A couple of sniggers were heard, though Tenley couldn't pinpoint who it was who laughed. She thought it might have been Rufus and Wyatt. Wyatt asked, "You're worried about our shots?"

Tenley sighed heavily. "You're walking into a disease ridden world, Wyatt. Smallpox, tuberculosis, yellow fever...just to name a few." She glanced about everyone once more before asking, "Do you really want to risk going back there and coming home with a deadly disease?" She saw amusement on their faces become more apparent. She added, "Unless you have your immunization records with you, I think it's safer all around for everyone."

Denise ordered, "Fine. Get the team their booster shots."

"It's not just the team who goes, but everyone," Tenley stated.

"Why?" Mason asked. "I'm not exactly a fan of needles-"

Tenley looked incredibly frustrated, as if she were trying to explain this to a two year old. She gritted her teeth as she spoke. "They'd bring it back as carriers. Their clothes, hair, skin, everything would be a potential carrier to pass onto others. Everyone, and I mean, everyone, would need to be inoculated."

Denise nodded. "Fine. Start with the team, and once they leave, you can give everyone else's theirs. We don't have much time."

Tenley nodded and headed to the infirmary to grab the supplies needed to give everyone their shots.

As Tenley rushed away, Rufus smirked. "She's interesting."

"If by 'interesting', you mean 'paranoid', I agree," Wyatt stated.

Lucy turned her gaze to the men. "She's not wrong, you know." When the men stopped smirking, Lucy stated, "Those diseases wiped out entire colonies." She shook her head, adding, "I actually appreciate her concern for our wellbeing. We're lucky we haven't brought anything else back with us before."

Wyatt pointed out, "Hence why I think that she's being paranoid. We clearly are up to date with our shots if we haven't brought anything back yet or have gotten sick."

"Not necessarily," Lucy stated. She didn't get the chance to continue her thoughts because Tenley had returned with several needles, vials, and the rest of the supplies needed to inoculate the team. She started with Rufus so he could start getting the Lifeboat ready to go. Next, she did Wyatt, followed by Lucy.

Flynn was the last member of the team who was going to get his shot. His sleeve was already rolled up and waiting. When she finished giving him his shot, he muttered as he rolled his sleeve down, "Thanks Nine."

Once more, Tenley was about to speak up about his use of the word "nine", but didn't have the chance as the team jumped into the Lifeboat and the hatch closed.

Those who stayed behind in the current reality watched as the Lifeboat was sucked into the vast nothingness, leaving a void in the room it once sat in. Once the team was gone, Agent Christopher turned her attention back to Tenley. "So, who's next?"


	6. This New Wilderness

**A/N: So, I am updating early because I'm not going to be in town for my normal updating schedule. The chapter to follow this one might be later than usual, but I wanted to give you the next chapter before I left. I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

 **5 Miles Outside Jamestown, Virginia 1607**

Rufus, Wyatt, Flynn, and Lucy climbed out of the Lifeboat and took a look around the overgrown forest of the Virginia foothills. It looked like something out of a movie; the trees towered over them, almost as tall as buildings and there were so many of them, you couldn't see past the blanket of leaves and branches that created a vast canopy, blocking out all sunlight, except for the occasional streak of golden sunlight that seeped through the leaves.

Lucy had advised the group to be careful within the woods because of the numerous tribes of Native Americans that lived within these foothills. There was no saying which would be friendly or hostile with them. She also suggested they find appropriate clothing, and soon.

As luck would have it, there was a small stream where the very few women of Jamestown would come to wash the men's' clothing. They had left in a hurry, leaving behind the baskets of clothes on the bank, and a few on low branches to dry.

Rufus muttered as they began to get dressed into the old dirty clothes, "I'm suddenly very grateful for our 'paranoid' doctor." Wyatt rolled his blue eyes as he changed next to Rufus in the brush.

When the team had changed, they started in for Jamestown. They crested the top of the hill and saw the fort and the estuary. There were several ships anchored in the estuary, some rowboats were making their way from the anchored ships towards land.

Just as they started to walk down the hill towards the settlement, they were spotted by a couple of soldiers. Muskets were aimed at them. One of the men lowered his and asked, "What are you doing out this far?" The man noticed that they didn't have any muskets on them and added, "Why don't you have a gun?"

Lucy was about to speak first, but Flynn chimed in. "My wife had gone to wash our clothes and got lost. Her brother," he pointed to Wyatt. "Forgot his musket. After a few hours of them being away, I took our manservant and went looking for them."

Lucy saw Wyatt ready to object, so she quickly added, "Yes, we got turned around in the woods."

The soldiers seemed to believe the story. "Follow us back then. Stay close," the one ordered. "Those savages hide in the brush well." The team exchanged glances as they followed the men towards Jamestown in silence.

Jamestown was almost exactly the same as it was depicted in history books. Lucy was excited and elated that the pictures in all of her books were true to form. The settlement was surrounded by high walls made from chopped down trees, carved into spikes at the top, bound tightly with ropes. There were a few windows within the walls, big enough for a man to peer out on their watch, but some housed cannons instead of men.

Inside the tall walls, were a few rows of houses, all the same. The only difference was how the women who lived there chose to decorate. Otherwise, they were practically identical from the placement of the windows and doors, down to the placement of the rocking chairs outside.

In the center of the settlement was a church with a tall steeple. This was something that Lucy couldn't recall immediately if they had. She decided that they must have built a church because it was there. Next door to the church stood a massive building that appeared to be the Governor's house. It was the largest house in the settlement and was protected by soldiers.

On the opposite end of the settlement, near the wall with the soldiers' stock house was what appeared to be a prison. There were bars on the windows, and soldiers armed and standing at attention.

Once they were inside, the soldiers didn't speak to them and allowed them to continue on their way. The group walked towards the housing rows, just to keep the illusion that they had created; lost in the woods, heading home.

They stopped inside some of the housing rows to discuss their next move. Rufus looked at Flynn. "Your 'manservant'? That's the best you could do?"

Flynn looked over at the upset engineer. "Would you have preferred being called our slave? I thought manservant was a better choice of words."

Rufus muttered, "I hate history."

Wyatt shook his head, changing the topic. "What do we do now?"

"Well," Lucy started. "We find John Smith. He'll be the one who knows Pocahontas the best."

"Doesn't he have a thing with her?" Rufus asked. "Like, romantically?"

Lucy shook her head. "You've watched too many movies. She's only a teenager right now, and their relationship was nothing more than friendship. She warns him about her father's plan to murder him and the settlers. In 1613, she's captured and held for ransom, but even though her father paid the ransom, she's not released and was taken to England where she converts to the Christian faith and changes her name to Rebecca. It's there that she ends up marrying a widower named John Rolfe."

Wyatt furrowed his brow at her. "Is it possible that Rittenhouse isn't even here for her?"

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"Well, correct me if I'm wrong," he started. "But it sounds like she did nothing more than protect the men here. That doesn't seem worthy enough to impact history if Rittenhouse takes her out."

Lucy thought about it. "You might be right, but it's all we have right now." She looked over at Flynn, who had been quiet for the majority of the conversation. She saw him staring off in deep thought and turned to see what he was looking at.

Across the settlement, nothing stood out to Lucy as to what Flynn could have been observing. She looked back at him and asked, "What are you thinking?"

His concentration was broken and he shook his head. "It's probably nothing, but..." his voice paused before he asked, "Isn't this a lot of firepower for this settlement, especially now?"

Lucy turned back to watch the soldiers who were working across the yard. They were unloading a cart full of weapons, tools, even cannonballs and gunpowder. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she turned back to Flynn. "That's a hell of a lot more than what was said in history books."

"Could it be that the books left that part out?" Rufus asked. "I mean, they tend to leave a lot out of the books these days." He thought about what he said and tried to correct himself. "I mean, our days...you know what I mean."

Wyatt sighed. "I think we stick to the original plan; find Smith, talk to him and see what he knows. He might even know who the sleeper is. Then we can think about whether or not the influx of weapons is normal or not." It was the best plan they had to work with. So the group headed into the settlement's square once more in search of the infamous John Smith.

It wasn't long before some of the soldiers had been talking loudly enough for the team to hear where John Smith was; on the beach, helping load the shipments that had been ferried from the ships to the land onto the carts for transport to the settlement. The team was about to hike down to the shoreline, when something caught Lucy's eyes.

Children inside the settlement were heard giggling and shrieking with glee. When Lucy had turned to see what was causing so much joy in such a dark place, she caught the glimpse of a young Indian girl playing with the children. She instantly recognized her to be Pocahontas.

"Lucy?" Wyatt asked, breaking her concentration on the girl. She looked over at him. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Sorry, it's just..." she breathed out a sigh filled with disbelief and wonder. "That's her. That's Pocahontas."

The team watched the girl, who couldn't have been more than 15 years old, playing with the English kids, performing cartwheels and enjoying other games.

Rufus questioned, "Should some of us stay here to watch out for her? I mean, she's just a kid." Rufus was concerned, now that he had laid eyes on her, that if Rittenhouse was after her, they would be murdering an innocent child. He couldn't let that happen, it wouldn't settle well with him if something had happened to her while they were gone.

Lucy nodded. "I think that makes the most sense, but I know that I need to be the one to talk to Smith."

Wyatt suggested, "So, Rufus and Flynn stay here to watch the kid and we'll go track down Smith." Flynn was about to object, but Lucy nodded her agreement to the plan and the two left.

Rufus watched Pocahontas as she played happily with the kids. He sighed. "I can't believe the trust she has for people who think so ill of her."

"Childlike innocence," Flynn suggested as he turned his attention away from the playing kids. The sounds of children laughing had brought memories of his own daughter playing in the yard with the neighborhood kids, before she was murdered in her bed. He tried to shake the memories from his mind and focus on the task at hand, but it was difficult. Once in a while, one of the children in the settlement laughed just as Iris had. It was like pouring salt into a wound for him. He wished he had gone with Lucy to the shore instead.

"Hey!" Rufus hissed, tapping Flynn on the upper arm to get his attention. "Look over there. That looks like someone who's taking quite an interest in our little Indian Princess."

Flynn glanced over to Rufus before following his gaze across the yard. Standing along the upper part of the tall wall of the settlement was a man, dressed like all the other soldiers present, watching with an intense stare at the kids, particularly Pocahontas. Flynn turned his eyes back to meet Rufus's. "Guess we have some work to do."

Wyatt and Lucy carefully made their way down the path, careful not to be run over by the carts full of supplies that were making their way up to the settlement. Lucy stated in a hushed tone, "This doesn't make sense. History is already changed. They didn't have near this many supplies when they first settled here."

"Are you sure?" Wyatt asked. The moment the question escaped his lips, he regretted saying it. He glanced over to see Lucy giving him the 'I know more about history than you'll ever know' look that she gives when she knows the answer for certain. "So, what are you saying? Rittenhouse came and gave the English the knowledge of what was waiting here for them?"

"Or they sent more ships after the fact," Lucy thought out loud. She eyed the carts as they walked passed them. "There's a lot of weapons in these carts...almost like they're preparing for a war."

"And that's bad?" Wyatt asked, still unsure he was following.

Lucy stopped dead in her tracks, forcing Wyatt to move them off the path as she passionately whispered, "If Rittenhouse gave them more supplies and weapons to bring here, that means that Pocahontas doesn't help them bridge the gap and try to be friends with the settlers. The settlers might decide that the threat of the Native Americans are too great and start killing them before trying to even become friendly." When Wyatt still looked lost, she added, "Think Wounded Knee, but on a much much greater scale."

Finally, she had said something in history that Wyatt actually knew something about. He nodded, finally getting the severity of the situation. "So," he asked. "What do we do?"

"We find John Smith and find out what is going on before a slaughter happens," she stated firmly. "And we better hurry."

They continued down the trail together. When they reached the shoreline of the estuary, there was one man who stood out amongst the soldiers there. Lucy whispered, "That must be him."

The man she was looking at was taller than most of the others, she figured about the same height as Flynn. The man was certainly muscular and it showed through his white blouse and jacket. He was the only man who wasn't wearing a uniform. His long blond hair was gathered into a ponytail and tucked into his shirt collar to stay out of the way. He was ordering the soldiers and the supplies they carried into certain directions. His blue eyes landed on Wyatt and Lucy.

The man approached them and asked, "What are you two doing down here? It's not safe, you know?"

Lucy stammered, "A-are you Captain John Smith?"

He smirked. "Captain had a nice ring to it."

"You mean, you're no longer a Captain?" Wyatt asked.

Smith looked between the two of them. "You must be some of the new settlers that came in the other day." Lucy looked confused, but didn't have a chance to say anything as Smith continued, "I was demoted on the voyage over. Now, I'm just a simple explorer."

"What?" Lucy asked, shocked. "B-but you're important." She noticed his eyebrows raise up at her. She quickly added, "I mean, for the settlement and the people here. We heard that you were going to be leading the men here, and that's why my brother, Wyatt and I, joined the cause."

Smith looked between the two of them and a small smile brushed his lips. "I appreciate the vote of confidence in my abilities, but there were others who were more convincing that I shouldn't keep my position."

"Who?" Wyatt asked. "Who are you talking about?"

"Some newcomers who joined the cause shortly before we set sail many years ago," John stated. "They came into one of the planning meetings and began to point out the flaws in our mission. They looked over our manifests, our supply logs, and even our catalog of families willing to join this new settlement for the New World, and changed a lot of things." He looked between the two and added, "A lot of good families missed the chance of coming because of it, and now, I'm sure those families are homeless or dead because they weren't surviving in England as it was." Lucy watched the pain wash over Smith's face before he shook it away, offering her a kind smile. He added, "But, I'm glad to see some decent folk here to help. This world could use more like you."

Wyatt asked, "Do you know if those people, the ones you spoke of, are here?"

"Oh," Smith started. "I'm sure you'll find them out and about. Sometimes they stay with the Governor, giving him more hair-brained ideas to follow."

"Hair-brained ideas?" Wyatt repeated.

Smith nodded. "Yeah, for example, they are adamant that the Natives here are dangerous."

"You disagree?" Lucy asked softly.

He smiled at her. "They seem curious, that's all. There's one who comes frequently to play with the children here. She's the daughter of the Chief of one of the nearby tribes. She often brings food when she comes. Sweet girl."

Lucy smiled as she saw the light in his blue eyes shimmer when he spoke fondly of Pocahontas. She asked, "What will happen to her if the Governor does what these people suggest?"

John's face suddenly grew dark and serious. He glanced between the two of them and said, "I shouldn't be telling you any of this."

"Please," she pleaded. "It's important."

His eyebrows furrowed at them. He was suddenly growing weary of them. "You know, now that I'm thinking about it," he paused. "I don't remember you two when we took call."

Lucy cleared her throat. "That's because we were busy helping with the sick and dying. See, I'm a nurse."

Smith wasn't buying it. He stepped closer to her, speaking low enough that only she and Wyatt could hear. "I'm a soldier. I know when someone's lying to me."

Wyatt blinked at the remark. He had said similar things in his time. He even recalled saying something just like that to Dorothy Lawrence. He whispered back, "We're here to help."

Smith never too his blue eyes off of Lucy's. She spoke even quieter than he had, "We think that those who are telling the Governor things are spies - people who are trying to destroy this mission before it really takes off."

Smith's eyes narrowed as she spoke. "Why would anyone do that?"

She shook her head. "You have to trust us." She studied his face and added, "I think you suspect something too, which is why you're speaking so softly now and why you haven't arrested us for mutiny."

He stood up straight, looking about the area. No one was behaving differently. He nodded. "We should discuss this more later. For now, I need to get back to work. I'll come find you tonight." He looked at Wyatt. "Keep your heads down low. Don't get caught."

Wyatt nodded and he tugged Lucy back up towards the settlement.


	7. Somewhere In The World

Back in the settlement, Rufus and Flynn had separated. Rufus kept an eye on Pocahontas and the kids, while Flynn had followed the watching soldier through the settlement.

When Wyatt and Lucy returned they found Rufus first. Lucy looked around. "Where's Flynn?"

"Your 'husband'," Rufus mocked. "Is following who we believe to be a sleeper."

"You let him go by himself?" she asked, almost shocked.

Rufus turned his attention from the playing kids to her. "Someone had to watch the kid." Wyatt and Lucy glanced over their shoulders to watch the English kids playing with Pocahontas. Rufus added sarcastically, "She seems like a real savage to me."

Lucy shook the sarcasm off. "We need to find Flynn."

"What's the hurry?" Rufus asked, looking between the two.

Wyatt explained, "We met with John Smith. Turns out, Rittenhouse has been changing this part of history way longer than we realized."

"What does that even mean?" Rufus began to ask. Lucy started to walk away from them, just as Wyatt began filling him in. They set out to track down Flynn so when the time came to talk with Smith, they'd all be together and could form a solid plan.

When they rounded the corner in the housing rows, Flynn was sitting on the ground, behind some barrels nearest the wall. Lucy rushed forward, bending down to his level. "Flynn? Are you okay? What happened?"

Flynn slowly lifted his head up to meet her worried gaze. His right eye was black and cheekbone was bruised with a slight cut, bleeding. He smirked as he admitted, "I got jumped by some of the soldiers."

"What?" Rufus asked, almost in doubt. "Since when does anyone get the upper hand on you?"

Flynn's jaw tightened as he turned his attention back to Rufus. "I followed our friend back here, and he had some friends waiting. With that many muskets pointed at me, I didn't think it was wise to put up much of a fight." Lucy helped him stand up. He added, "Besides, I want them to think that I'm just a stupid settler, not a fighter."

Wyatt had a half smile on his face. Something about a couple of redcoats beating up on Flynn was almost humorous to him. Flynn noticed the smile, but said nothing.

Lucy whispered, "We have a meeting with Smith later. Some of what he told us makes us believe that Rittenhouse has been here for a lot longer than we think."

Flynn studied her face as she filled him in with the exchange down at the shore. He nodded when she finished and said, "So, we wait."

They didn't have to wait long. The moment it got dark outside, and the torches and fires were lit all along the walls of the settlement, as well as the candles within it, John Smith had returned from his work down at the estuary. The team watched as he spoke with some of the soldiers, then some of the kids. He scanned the group of kids, face falling slightly as he moved on from them. Lucy thought it was because Pocahontas wasn't there with the kids. She realized that maybe he loved her more than his story admitted.

He approached the group as they stood nearby one of the houses. He motioned for them to follow and they did. He escorted them into one of the houses, which from the looks of it, was his own private quarters. There were maps rolled up neatly and placed into a bucket. There were weapons and tools strewn along the walls, and a few furs tossed about the bed and chairs.

Smith lit the fireplace logs ablaze and then did the same for the few candles he had. He turned his attention to the group and his eyes stalled on Flynn's face. He motioned to it. "Which soldier did that?"

Flynn waved it off. "Some kid. It's nothing serious."  
Smith nodded, almost approvingly that Flynn took his attack like a real soldier would instead of calling out the ones that did him wrong. Smith appreciated men like Flynn.

Lucy watched the exchanged and noted the approval that washed over Smith's face and realized that they were off to a good start with the man. She asked, "Have you thought more about what we were speaking of earlier?"

Smith had sat down and motioned for the others to do the same. He stated, "I don't know who you people are, but you're not from our group."

"What makes you say that?" Rufus questioned, trying hard to sink into his chair when Smith's eyes bore into him.

Smith smirked. "For starters, none of you sound English." He motioned towards Flynn. "I'm not even sure where you're from, based on how you sound." Before anyone could retort, Smith waved it off. "But that's not what bothers me." He turned his attention back to Lucy. "You seem to know a lot about me, about the settlement, and strangely, about the young Indian Princess."

Lucy swallowed, feeling nervous under the gaze of John Smith. She inhaled deeply before speaking. "You'll have to forgive me, but I-"

Smith laughed. "Do I make you nervous?" She nodded and he smiled warmly at her. "Please, don't be. I'm not as scary as most make me out to be."

She returned the smile. "I've just heard so much about you."

"Which I find to be troubling," he admitted. When confusion swept across the group, he added, "I'm a very private individual. No one knows my history and what I've been through. So, I'm curious as to how it's possible that you know anything about me."

Lucy released a heavy sigh. "I've heard the stories through the members of your old mercenary days, against the Spaniards."

Smith's eyes regained that light once more. He nodded. "Yes, I remember those boys. I was only 16 then."

"They had heard stories of your time fighting for Michael the Brave," she added.

He raised a hand, silencing her. "Very well," he stated. "You've convinced me." He grabbed his cup off the table and asked, "So, what do you need my help with? What brings you out to the New World?"

Lucy started carefully, "We have been informed about some Turkish sympathizers who have been trying to destroy the King's vision for the New World." She swallowed, watching him closely as she added, "From what you told my brother and me earlier today, I fear that those sympathizers are the ones pulling the Governor's strings."

"'Pulling the Governor's strings'... that's an interesting way to put it," he stated, mulling over the phrase. "Much like a puppet master would do with his marionettes."

Rufus blinked at Smith. He tried to stifle his laughter. He couldn't believe that Smith had never heard that simple phrase before. Then again, who knew when that phrase became popular.

If Smith had heard Rufus's laughter, he ignored it, much like he ignored Rufus entirely, for which Rufus was glad; being black had it's perks in history, but those were few and far between. He knew that he was on thin ice every where they went. He hated history.

Smith was deep in thought with what Lucy had been saying. He nodded. "It makes sense," he said, finally breaking that uncomfortable silence that filled the dimly lit room. "They did show up rather spontaneously, and immediately singled me out." He looked up at the group and saw that the men looked a bit confused and having a hard time following along. He stated, "The Turks and I don't exactly enjoy one another's company."

"So," Lucy began carefully. "You'll help us?"

Smith nodded. "I believe in this New World. I also believe," he said, standing up from his chair. "That these indigenous people are a key component to our survival here. I want to make sure that they are left unharmed during all of this." Lucy's face fell and Smith saw it. "What's the matter? Do you know something more about the natives that you're not sharing?"

She shifted in her place. "You have a lot of weapons here, including the cannons... That's enough to wipe out entire tribes."

Smith had quickly picked up on what would happen before she spelled it out for him. "We need to disable those cannons." He raised his eyes to the group once more. "Leave that to me." He started to the window to gaze out behind the curtain. "I have some dedicated men, good men, who would be able to help with that. We would need a way to get gather the rest of the weapons within these walls."

"I'm unsure if that's possible," Wyatt started. When Smith turned to face him, he added, "These men are soldiers, like you and me. They sleep with their weapons - it's a part of them. There's no way, especially here where the threat of being scalped by savages lingers."

Smith took in his words and nodded slowly. "You're right. However, I think we can still disable the cannons. Now, the ones on the ships might pose a problem to get to. No one is allowed to board without specific instructions from the Governor himself."

Flynn asked, "How do we speak to him? Maybe we can convince him to allow us board."  
Smith chuckled. "Good luck with that. The only ones who are allowed on board those ships are the crews still on deck, the Governor, and those puppet masters." Rufus smirked again.

Lucy suggested, "Maybe we ignore those ships then. We have a lot more to focus on. For example, the spies, making sure that the natives stay away from here while we're taking care of this business-"

"You mean, Pocahontas," Smith stated. "No one else really ventures far from the tribe."

"Are you telling me that you wouldn't linger in the woods unseen, watching as your child was playing with people you thought was your enemy?" Flynn asked. He wasn't convinced that the natives would just allow their princess to wander towards a new settlement without some kind of protection close-by.

The moment Flynn said this, another smile graced Smith's lips. He scoffed, "Of course not, but no one else seems to think so."

Lucy asked, "You've learned their language, haven't you?"

Smith nodded. "Some. Pocahontas helps me with translations."

Wyatt suggested, "So, why don't we," he motioned to Lucy and himself, "Go with John to speak with the natives, while Flynn and Rufus try to get access to the ships?"

Smith narrowed his blue eyes at Wyatt. "You've a very protective brother," he pointed out. "So protective, you'd rather go with your sister than to see her go with her husband." When the team exchanged glances, he let out a laugh. "You're not really related, are you?" After the team shook their heads, he turned to Flynn. "And you're not really her husband." It was a statement rather than a question. Flynn just silently stood there, nodding once to acknowledge what was already obvious. Smith smoothed his jacket and suggested, "You lot need to work on your stories and lies better." He turned towards the door. "Shall we?"

Flynn and Rufus headed towards the Governor's house. Rufus muttered, "Why is it that I'm always going with you?" Flynn raised an eyebrow at him as they walked. Rufus continued, "Don't get me wrong, I think I'd much rather go with you than Mountain Man back there who's hung up on puppet masters-" Flynn chuckled. Rufus added, "But, I don't see a good place for me to be in either group. I'm black and I think it'd be bad no matter where I go."

Flynn shook his head. "Actually, you'd be welcome with the natives."

"Really?" Rufus asked, stopping in his tracks. "Why do you say that?"

"Most of the natives back when the West was being conquered, the slaves would escape and run off into Indian territory. Most of which were successfully integrated into the tribes because of their darker skin...most were killed, too, so...there's that." Flynn stopped talking just as he observed the soldiers outside the Governor's house switch watches.

Rufus muttered, "Should have gone with Lucy and Grizzly Adams."

Flynn whispered, "I need you to follow my lead."

"What?" Rufus asked, brown eyes darting up to meet Flynn's.

"Follow my lead and trust me," he stated as he grabbed Rufus's arm aggressively.

"Suddenly, I'm not sure I do trust you," Rufus stated as he was jerked along by Flynn. He was nervous because whenever they were in a tight place, he was usually the one that was used as bait. He didn't appreciate it. He worried what Flynn's plan was, but he figured that it couldn't be good for him with how aggressive Flynn was being.

When they stopped before the armed guards, Flynn stated, "I need to speak with the Governor immediately! It's urgent."

One of the guards eyed Flynn first, taking his appearance in, then turned towards Rufus. "And what seems to be the problem?"

Flynn didn't hesitate. "What's the problem?" He motioned to his face. "Are you blind, man? Do you see what he's done?"

Rufus looked taken aback. "What?" He felt Flynn's grip tighten and he realized that this was part of the plan.

Flynn said, "I want to speak with the Governor about my rights to punish my servant!" He heard Rufus scoff at the sentence, but to his genuine surprise, the guards allowed them access into the Governor's yard. Flynn led Rufus up to the door and knocked loudly until someone opened the door.

Standing a few feet shorter than Flynn was a plump man with thinning hair. He placed his wig on his head quickly and it was off center. He glanced up at Flynn. "What is the meaning of this intrusion? Who let you in?"

Flynn bowed before the man, showing him some respect. "I'm terribly sorry for disturbing you, but I have an urgent matter that I wish to discuss with you."

"Regarding what?" the man shouted. He was clearly flustered by his company.

"My servant has attacked me," Flynn started. "I'd like to discuss my rights as owner to handle this incident with discretion."

The plump man sighed, motioning for them to enter. Once inside, the man slammed the door closed behind them. He asked, "What is all of this about?"

Flynn told an elaborate story about how he found his servant insulting his wife, slacking off, and when he went to punish the man, he was attacked and wanted to teach him a lesson in manners, but wanted to do so out of sight of his family. While the man listened to Flynn's story, he was nodding almost in approval, casting sneers at Rufus.

When Flynn finished, he asked, "I would very much like to use your brig aboard one of your ships."

The Governor balked. "My what? I dare say, you are bold!" He laughed. "And why would I allow you that? Just take him outside the settlement walls and shoot him!"

"I cannot do that," Flynn immediately stated. "You see, despite this incident, he is my best one. He hates the water, he hates ships, you see? To beat him while on the water would be the worst punishment he could endure."

Rufus blinked at Flynn. He sounded convincing, but whenever he looked at the Governor, he worried that this plan wasn't going to work. This man seemed content with taking Rufus 'out back and shooting him' like an old dog.

The Governor laughed. "I like the way that you think, good sir. I'll allow you the use of the brig for an hour. Be quick! No one must know that you are going that way." The man quickly scribbled a note and handed it to Flynn. "You'll need this to get access." The man grabbed Flynn's face to look at the bruises better. "You make sure he gets the same as what he did to your face."

Flynn nodded, held up the note in thanks and took his leave of the Governor, while pulling Rufus along with him. The Governor was still laughing when the door slammed shut behind them.

Rufus waited until the two started towards the path that would lead them to the estuary before talking. "You're scary, did anyone ever tell you that?" Flynn didn't say anything. Rufus added, "You seemed pretty convincing..." Flynn suddenly stopped walking and started to open the note that the Governor wrote. Rufus watched and asked, "What's the matter?"

Flynn sighed. "It was too easy to get him to agree to let us use the ship," he handed the note over to Rufus. "And now, I know why."  
Rufus looked down at the note and read it. _These men are the ones we've been warned about. Kill them._ Rufus scoffed. "Did he think we didn't know how to read?"

"Possibly," Flynn admitted. "We still have to get to the ships."

"I should start carrying a pencil," Rufus stated as they continued towards the ships. He thought that if he had a pencil at the ready, he could just rewrite the note needed to get access to the ships. Instead, they were back to square one. He asked, "What's the plan?"

Flynn shook his head. "We'll just wing it."

"Wing it," Rufus repeated. "I'm suddenly wishing you had taken me out back and shot me."


	8. Secrets Of The Forest

**A/N: Thank you RockOnAgnieska for your review. I appreciate your kind words. I hope I can continue to keep it up with all of the upcoming twists and changes.**

 **Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

After walking in the dark forest for what seemed like hours, Wyatt finally asked, "Where are we going?"

Smith stated, "To Pocahontas's tribe."

"Which is where?" Wyatt asked.

"It's about 15 miles north of the settlement," Smith announced.

Wyatt stopped Lucy and said, "Whoa, hold on." When all of them had stopped, he added, "We don't have that kind of time. On foot, covering that kind of distance could take days-"

Smith nodded. "Yes-"

Wyatt cut him off. "We don't have days!"

As Smith and Wyatt started to argue, Lucy noticed figures emerging from the darkness of the woods towards them. She smacked Wyatt on the arm. "Looks like we don't have to go anywhere."

Smith whirled around and was face to face with an angry looking native. Smith raised his hands and began speaking to them in what little of their language he knew. Whatever he said, the native looked less angry and motioned for them to follow.

"What did you say to them? Where are they taking us?" Lucy questioned.

Smith replied, "I asked to speak with Pocahontas. Said it was important."

Wyatt mentioned, "I thought you said that you didn't speak their language."

"I don't speak it well," Smith admitted. "I probably told him to take me to his leader and eat me."

Wyatt had wanted to laugh, and he knew that if Rufus had been there, he would have laughed. They would have joked about how Smith was talking like all of those old school alien movies they used to watch together in the late evening hours. Instead, he was hoping that whatever Smith had said, it was enough to keep them from being killed by the group of seemingly unforgiving natives.

They were led down the forest slopes. They arrived at a small camp that the Natives had set up to keep watch on Pocahontas as she visited the settlers. Flynn had been right to assume that they would have done this.

When Pocahontas saw John Smith, she smiled brightly at him and made her way over to him. She began speaking to him, using some hand signs, and speaking broken English. He spoke to her in kind, using the few words she had taught him.

Lucy and Wyatt sat close together, watching the exchange between the two. Smith motioned over in their direction and the girl's eyes fell upon them. Lucy was filled with mixed emotions, some fear for what was being said, excitement for meeting the girl who brought two worlds together, and nervousness because of all of the above, including the impending changes to history.

Lucy watched with wide eyes as Pocahontas approached them. She asked in surprisingly good English, "Why are you here?"

Lucy replied, "We want to be friends."

"We have friends," she stated. "What makes you different?"

"You can never have too many friends," she replied.

"John says you know about some bad people," Pocahontas said. "What do these bad people want?"

Lucy shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure, but I think it might have something to do with you."

Pocahontas looked confused. "Why me?"

Lucy looked at Smith, who nodded, almost encouraging her to continue. She began to explain to this teenage girl, all there was to know about the bad people who were there, what it might mean for the settlement, but more importantly, for her and her people.

When she finished, Pocahontas, who had been listening to every word, stood up and started to walk away. Lucy looked at John and asked, "Did I say something wrong?" He shook his head.

They watched as Pocahontas began speaking to her people. They were listening and taking in everything she had to say. When she finished, some of the tribesmen left, disappearing within the darkness. The girl turned back to face Lucy and Wyatt. She said, "We know who you are afraid of."

Wyatt tried to interject, "We're not afr-"

Pocahontas raised her hand, silencing him. "We know where to find them." She stood before Lucy once more and said, "We will join this fight." She looked over her shoulder to a smiling John Smith. "We stand with you. We want to become friends, and we want to help." She turned back to Lucy and said, "We leave now."

Lucy leaned forward so she could whisper to Smith. "She can't die." He turned to her, almost shocked to hear her say something like that. She stated, "You have to make sure that she survives this fight. It's imperative that she lives." Smith finally nodded that he understood what she was saying, and they followed the band of warriors into the darkened forest, back towards the settlement.

Wyatt muttered, "Let's hope that Flynn and Rufus had better luck with their end of things."

Rufus and Flynn were hunkered down behind one of the carts that had been used to bring supplies up to the settlement. Soldiers onboard the ships were firing their muskets at them, hoping to somehow hit their targets.

Flynn removed his Glock and began firing back. He realized that at this point, there was no reason to keep from defending themselves.

There was a short silence between shots and they heard a voice boom out across the water towards them. "Cease fire!"

Flynn peeked over the top of the cart, waiting to see who was speaking, and what they were planning. He knew that they had massive amounts of ammo and cannons onboard, and he didn't trust that they wouldn't use it against them if they had clean shot, let alone ordered to do so.

An unfamiliar voice shouted, "I'm coming to the shore! Cease fire!"

Flynn watched as a man dressed in an officer's uniform began his decent into a small rowboat. Once he was seated, the man motioned for another man, a bigger more muscular man to climb down into the boat, which he did. They rowed themselves up onto the shore.

The officer raised his hands and shouted, "We know why you're here, and we'd like to offer you the chance to win your life back."

Rufus asked, "What does that even mean?"

Flynn muttered, "Fight to the death, most likely."

Rufus peered over the top and the massive man that the officer brought with him. "He's like The Mountain in Game of Thrones. He'd rip you in two!"

Flynn slowly glanced over to Rufus. He blinked at the man, but couldn't really argue his logic. The man was massive and Flynn knew that if it was a fight to the death, he most likely wouldn't win.

The officer shouted, "What say you? Fight my man and live? Or we shoot you and be done with it?"

Before anyone could say anything, sounds of muskets cocking behind them were heard. Flynn dropped his gun into the cart before turning around to be face to face with the same group of soldiers who had jumped him hours earlier. They wore wide amused smiles on their faces. Flynn wanted to wipe the smirks off their faces, but with them also aiming at Rufus, he knew he'd be unable to defend both and accomplish his desire.

They were pushed forward towards the officer and his man. The officer smiled politely at them. "I'm glad you've decided to do this like men."

Standing closer to the massive man, Flynn began sizing him up. A man of this size usually has a weak point. He was trying to find it quickly before he would be forced to fight him. He was also working himself up to the fact that he was going to be beaten within an inch of his life - it was going to hurt having just one blow land on him. He wasn't looking forward to this.

Before the fight was forced to start, a voice spoke behind his guards. "Wait."

Everyone's eyes turned towards the newcomers. Standing a few feet behind the armed guards who forced Flynn and Rufus into the center of the beach, were four well dressed men, none of whom Flynn recognized, but he knew who they had to be.

They were the sleeper agents. There was no denying this. The way they stood, the way the looked compared to the others, and how some stood in a way that most do when they have concealed weapons, told Flynn exactly who they were.

Rufus hadn't taken as long to figure it out either. These men stood out like sore thumbs.

The officer on the beach asked, "May I ask why you've halted our fun?"

The front man of the four stepped forward. "I thought we told you to be on the lookout for these individuals."

"You did, sir," the officer stated. "Here they are."

"And where are the others?" the man asked, clearly annoyed.

"The others?" the officer asked, shaking his head in confusion.

The front man sighed heavily. "There were four you were to look out for. Where are the other two? A man and a woman?"

The officer shook his head. "We've not seen another man or woman, just these two-"

"I don't have time for this," the sleeper stated. He glanced over his shoulders at the men standing behind him and nodded. The men behind him removed their weapons and fired at the officer, striking him in the head and chest. His body had grown rigid as he fell backwards into the sand.

The guards had whirled around, aiming their muskets at the men, confused as to what had just happened. Flynn and Rufus took off, knowing that they were most likely their next targets. The Mountain ran after them.

Flynn shouted to Rufus, "My gun's in the cart!" Rufus watched in horror as Flynn was grabbed by The Mountain and thrown backwards, but to his delight, The Mountain was more interested in Flynn than himself. Rufus rushed towards the cart, keeping his head down as the sleepers killed the guards and were heading towards him, to find Flynn's handgun. It proved challenging as it was pitch black and he couldn't see inside the cart.

Flynn rolled over, dodging the impending stomp towards his head. He grabbed a handful of sand and threw it up at the massive man's face as he lunged forward.

The man shouted, wiping his eyes. It didn't slow the man down, only angered him. The first swing missed Flynn, but the second landed on his stomach, near his almost fully healed bullet wound, knocking all the wind out from his lungs. Pain shot through his abdomen, emanating from the old wound.

Flynn stumbled backwards a few steps, blocking the next swing that was coming towards his face with his left arm. He threw his right fist into the man's face, but it didn't seem to make any impact at all; the man's head barely even moved.

The Mountain grabbed Flynn by the collar with his left hand and swung Flynn behind him. Flynn rolled along the sand. Before he could stand up, the massive man was already placing his giant hands on Flynn's back, ready to toss him across the yard again like a little ragdoll.

Flynn kicked the man's knees hard. He heard the crack of the kneecaps when his boots made contact. The Mountain screamed in pain, but his adrenaline was surging through his veins and he remained on his feet. He brought his fist down onto Flynn's face again. Twice.

Flynn swung his legs towards the man's feet, trying unsuccessfully to knock the man off his feet. The Mountain was clearly growing tired of this fight and reached down to grab Flynn. Flynn felt the massive hand wrap easily around his neck, lifting him up into the air, slightly above the man's eye level.

The Mountain brought Flynn's face close to his own. He hissed, "You picked the wrong settlement to join."

Flynn felt his air supply dwindling. His own hands clawed at the man's hand that was still around his neck. He was beginning to feel himself losing consciousness.

Rufus had finally found the gun hidden in the cart. He glanced up to see the sleeper agents making their way towards him, almost unconcerned with everything. When his hand grasped the gun, he looked over to see Flynn up in the air, being held around the neck by The Mountain. He glanced between Flynn and the four approaching sleepers. He knew he'd have to make a choice, and depending on which choice he made, the consequences would be severe.

Flynn felt his vision darkening. Suddenly, a solitary shot rang out. Flynn felt himself falling, landing hard onto the sand beneath him. He coughed hard a few times, trying to regain air for his lungs. He glanced up just in time to watch the massive man collapse onto the beach, bullet hole through his chest. He looked over to see Rufus standing close by, holding a familiar gun, aimed directly at the giant man who was now dead on the sand.

Rufus asked, "You all right?" Flynn nodded, unable to speak. Rufus rushed over, helping Flynn up onto his feet. Flynn leaned into him for a moment. Rufus stated, "We are so very lucky today."

Before Flynn could question him, he glanced up to see the four sleeper agents on their knees before the band of Native Americans, John Smith, Pocahontas, Wyatt, and Lucy. From what Flynn could see, the sleepers looked terrified.

John Smith had checked the dead soldiers who laid on the beach. None had survived the attack that took place by the sleepers. When he rejoined the group, he asked, "What do we do with these men?"

Lucy asked with genuine curiosity, "What would you normally do?"

Smith sighed. "Nothing that the gentler sex should hear." He motioned to the Natives to take the four men back to the settlement. He turned to Lucy and the rest. "I should go with them. I don't want the settlement to think that we're being attacked by the natives." He stopped, giving Lucy a kiss on the top of her right hand. "Thank you for all of your help. I shall never forget you."

"What are you going to do now?" Rufus asked.

Smith turned and said, "We do what we intended to do here. We make friends with the natives. We get rid of our current Governor. I'll take charge around here... see to it that this place thrives and the vision of the New World becomes what we dreamed it to be." He turned to Lucy. "No more puppet masters."

For the first time since hearing Smith say that phrase, Rufus didn't laugh. They watched as John Smith followed the group of Native Americans up the hill towards Jamestown.

Pocahontas had stayed behind for a moment. She looked between the four and asked, "Where will you go now?"

"Wherever we're needed," Lucy replied.

The girl nodded and said, "I thank you for saving my friends, my tribes, and me." She started to walk but stopped suddenly. She turned back and asked, "Do you need help finding your way in the forest?"

The team exchanged looks. She motioned them to follow her. They followed her closely as they trekked through the dark forest until they were safely standing before the Lifeboat once more. Pocahontas stood a safe distance away from the Lifeboat, almost in fear of the machine.

Rufus asked, "Aren't you the least bit curious as to what this is? I mean, you've not asked any questions about it."

Pocahontas shook her head. "Some things are better left unknown."

"Wise words," Lucy pointed out. Pocahontas smiled.

The team climbed into the Lifeboat. Lucy turned and gazed out of the hatch, before it closed, to see Pocahontas waving at them before she turned and disappeared into the forest.

The sun was just starting to shine through the thick canopy of trees. A morning fog had engulfed the forest floor, creating a surreal and magical glow about the area. Lucy took in the beautiful sight, trying to hold onto this memory of the world before the hatch closed and the Lifeboat disappeared from time.


	9. Good To Be Home

**Present Day**

Alarms started to blare about the bunker. Jiya and Mason sat at the computers waiting to see the Lifeboat reappear. Tenley stood behind Agent Christopher as the Lifeboat plopped down with a clank.

The hatch opened and the team started to emerge.

Denise asked, "How'd it go?"

Lucy was the first one out. "Fine," she stated. "Except for one thing..." Lucy turned to look back at the Lifeboat, just as Flynn stepped out.

His face had been bloodied and bruised. His clothes were ripped in areas, wrinkled, and filthy. He looked terrible.

Tenley's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. She blinked at his appearance almost in shock. Agent Christopher asked, "What happened to you?"

Rufus stood beside Flynn and replied, "The Mountain happened."

Christopher looked confused. "I don't understand...did you fall off a mountain?"

Rufus stated, "Game of Thrones character... you know, the Hound's brother." When he saw that Christopher had no idea what he was talking about, Rufus rolled his head back. "Never mind."

Flynn groaned, "Think World's Strongest Man, but back in colonial times where steroids weren't the latest rage."

"Well, it's nice to see that you still have your sense of humor," Denise muttered. She sighed. "Get yourself cleaned up and check in with the doc. Make sure you're not completely broken."

Flynn nodded and hobbled down the hall. Tenley took a quick glance at the rest of the team and realized that the only one who had suffered on this mission was Flynn, so she turned and hurried down the hall to catch up with him.

Jiya asked, "So? Did you guys actually meet Pocahontas? What's she like?"

Wyatt nodded. "Younger than the movies make her out to be." He started to unbutton his jacket and sniffed his shoulder, grimacing at his smell. "I need a shower."

"You and me both," Rufus added as he walked with Wyatt.

Denise looked at Lucy. "How are you doing?"

Lucy shrugged. "Fine. Why do you ask?"

"Making sure that everyone is managing," Christopher admitted. She motioned for Lucy to continue. "We'll debrief later. Get cleaned up."

Lucy took her leave and headed to her room. Since the guys were going to be taking the showers first, she decided that she would head to her room and check her history books on her shelf. She pulled one of them off her recently organized shelf and sat down on the bed, flipping the pages until she reached the chapters she was searching for.

She began reading all about the 'new' history of Jamestown. It talked about how the Governor had enlisted the help of some Turkish sympathizers to try and destroy the New World, but with the help of some settlers and John Smith, the plot was overthrown. The sympathizers and the Governor were given a trial and were hanged publicly, even with the Native Americans and Pocahontas present.

Pocahontas and John Smith continued their ongoing relationship, creating a positive relationship between their races and settlement and tribes. Eventually, their friendship grew into a more romantic one, and they married. Their marriage had bonded a strong alliance between the English and the Native Americans that is still substantial to this day. They had several children, who in turn had many children.

Due to the nature of their alliances, Jamestown didn't fail and the settlers didn't starve to death or die of terrible diseases. They flourished and soon after, more settlements began to pop up along the Virginian coastline.

Lucy reached back to her shelf, removing another book and flipping it open to see that because of this part of history being changed, there were more Native Americans alive, more acceptance of them, and the Wild West had even changed slightly from what she remembered learning.

She stared at the open books and knew that if she really went through all of her books to figure out exactly what kind of repercussions their presence back then had, she'd be up all night - possibly all week - trying to discover all of the changes. She'd have to do that another time.

A knock landed on her door and Rufus popped his head inside. "You okay?" He motioned to the books that were spread out.

She nodded. "Yeah, just doing a little research," she said, closing the books. She replaced them on the shelf and asked, "What's up?"

"I thought you'd like to get a shower in before Flynn," he started. "You know how he hogs all the hot water."

She smirked. "Thanks." Rufus nodded and closed the door behind him. She sighed, pushing herself up onto her sore feet, gathering her things for her much needed shower, and headed down the hall.

Flynn sat on the exam table as Tenley was prepping supplies to take a look at him. He could feel the bruises forming and becoming tender. He hadn't looked at himself in a mirror yet, but he had a feeling that he probably looked just about as good as he was feeling.

Tenley rolled the tray of supplies over to the table. She was already wearing gloves when she stopped in front of him. Concern was still visible in her dark eyes as she started her examination with his face. "What happened?"

He cringed as she gently touched his cheek that had been busted open by his ambush in the settlement, then re-aggravated by The Mountain. "It's nothing."

She stopped working, pulling back to look at him dead in the eye. "You look like you've been hit by a truck," she stated. "Last time I checked a history book, there weren't many trucks in Jamestown." He smirked a little, but quickly stopped when it hurt his face to do so. She asked, "Shall we try again? What happened?"

Flynn sighed. "I was following a man that we believed might be targeting Pocahontas, and I got jumped by a couple of kids playing soldier."

She furrowed her brows. "A couple of kids couldn't have done this much damage..."

He inhaled deeply, cringing from the pain in his abdomen. "Then I got attacked by a very large man that Rufus has been calling, The Mountain." Tenley looked at him, confused. He explained, "Apparently, that's the name of a character on Game of Thrones."

"Haven't seen it," she admitted.

"Don't tell him that," Flynn stated. He could feel the isopropyl alcohol burning into his open cuts on his face as she cleaned the wounds. When she finished cleaning the cuts, she placed butterfly bandages over the ones that were a deeper cuts to help them close up naturally.

She looked at his neck. "My God," she started. She reached forward and gently touched his bruised neck. There was a massive handprint on his neck from when The Mountain had grabbed him. "Was this-"

"Yeah," he replied. He knew that he didn't have to tell her who did it; not after his story.

She shook her head and asked, "What else hurts?" Before Flynn said anything, she pointed out, "You've been favoring your side. What happened?" Flynn quickly mentioned how the fight between The Mountain and him took place, the blows and where. With each new detail he gave her, the more apparent it was that she was concerned for his wellbeing. She sighed. "Okay, shirt off."

He started to struggle with removing the jacket as she had gone to gather a few more supplies that she didn't have before. He noted that it was for another bandage change on his abdomen. It didn't surprise him that she was preparing for the worst.

She saw him struggling to get his jacket and shirt off, so she reached forward and helped him. He felt his jacket fall down behind him, and waited patiently, studying her as she helped him with his shirt.

She released a startled gasp when she saw how badly he looked once his shirt was off. The blow that he took to the stomach was already yellowing. His not-even-a-week-old gunshot wound had been slightly torn open, and freshly bruised again. He had a few smaller bruises from being tossed about like a ragdoll, but those didn't concern her.

"I need you to lay back," she ordered, pulling his jacket and shirt off the exam table behind him so that he had a flat surface to lean back on. Groaning, he lowered himself flat.

She stood next to him and admitted, "This is going to hurt, but I have to do it to make sure you don't have an internal damage, okay?" He nodded and mentally braced himself. She started pushing on his stomach and abdomen, focusing around the areas with the bruising. Once she was satisfied, she announced, "I'm not feeling anything abnormal." He was about to sit up, but she stopped him. "I still need to work on your wound."

Flynn focused on his breathing as she worked on his old wound. He would cringe occasionally at what she was doing, but kept silent throughout. When she was finished, she helped him sit back up.

He watched her move the tray away from the table and wrapped his torso up with gauze to help keep the area padded and clean. When she finished, he whispered, "Thanks Nine."

She furrowed her brows at him, slowly removing her purple latex gloves from her hands. "That's the third time now, that you've called me that." He glanced about the room, trying to remember if that was accurate. He was only remembering two times, but it didn't matter to him. She crossed her arms over her chest, one hand holding onto the gloves still. "Why?"

A sly smile broke out across his beaten face. "Your name."

"My name?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. She hadn't figured it out.

He nodded. "Say it with your name - your whole name."

Her stance didn't change. "'Nine' Tenley Levinso-" Suddenly, the light bulb went off in her head, and Flynn seemed even more amused than before. She shook her head. "You think you're clever, don't you?"

He shrugged. "Perhaps."

She pursed her lips off to one side before saying, "I can't say that I've heard that one before."  
"Glad to be the first," he said, carefully standing up from the table. He stopped next to her on his way out, leaned down to her ear, and whispered, "I'll see you around, Nine."

She watched him leave, shaking her head softly. Once the door closed behind him, she began the task of cleaning and disinfecting her infirmary.


	10. To Far Away Times

The next few days had gone by without so much as a sound from Rittenhouse. It made the team uneasy in a way. They weren't used to having so much downtime and the wondered what Rittenhouse was up to. The only good thing that came from all of this silence was that everyone was able to heal up from the past few trips - Flynn most of all.

Tenley had continued to check on Flynn's wounds and was genuinely happy to see them healing nicely. Even though his abdomen was still slightly bruised, he was looking like his normal healthy self.

Wyatt and Rufus were growing bored in the bunker, begging Agent Christopher to allow them to leave just for a few hours, which of course, she denied the request. Instead, she supplied them with new DVDs to binge watch on their downtime.

Lucy spent most of her time rereading her history books - some for the first time since the change at Jamestown. She was learning all sorts of new information. She hadn't realized the ramifications that Pocahontas and John Smith had in life until she saw just how much had changed over the course of centuries.

Jiya and Tenley had spent a lot of time together, teaching each other new games and bonding over their love of science fiction. Tenley had suggested that George Takei was right in his statement that there should not be a war between Trekkies and Star Wars lovers, but that they should unite against Twilighters. Jiya had laughed and admitted that she had never heard of that before, but loved it.

Agent Christopher had brought many of the items that was on Tenley's list of things that she felt would help her adjust to life inside the bunker. Among the stacks of books and cds, Tenley had asked for board games. When Jiya saw the stack of games, she was ecstatic. At first, it started with just the two of them, but as time continued to pass them by, they began to have more of them interested.

Rufus was the first to join them when he saw that they had been playing Pandemic. Wyatt joined in shortly thereafter, simply out of boredom, but he continued to play the games after realizing how much fun they were having. His personal favorite of the bunch had turned out to be an old school game called The Omega Virus. Lucy became interested when she saw the different kinds of trivia games and Guillotine, which was a card game that she and her sister, Amy, used to play all the time. Mason eventually joined in and found that he was particularly fond of Carcassonne and Agricola. Flynn took interest when he watched them play several rounds of Dominion.

Agent Christopher had laughed and mentioned that it was nice to see the team bonding and having regular game nights, just as long as it didn't interfere with their missions. Tenley had tried to recruit Denise into sticking around one night and playing some games with them, but she turned the offer down, explaining that she had her family to get home to. Tenley suggested that she at least take a game or two home to play with her family, to which Christopher eventually agreed.

One night, after they finished playing games, Tenley began cleaning up the pieces. It was late and after Wyatt and Rufus began fighting over the rules of a game, the fun had ended early.

Regardless of the bickering and occasional fights, Tenley was glad to have introduced the group to some fun activities to help bond and fight boredom. It was also a great way for her to help the team relieve some much needed stress and anxiety. She smiled knowing that she was helping them without them even realizing it.

Tenley placed the pieces to Agricola in their respective baggies before placing them into the box. She didn't even notice that Lucy had joined her. Lucy asked, "Do you need some help?"

Tenley looked up. "Sure. If you want to." She watched as Lucy started to slowly help put the pieces away, not speaking. The doctor saw that Lucy had something on her mind and asked, "How are you doing since I've been giving you your medications?"

Lucy nodded. "It's been good, thank you." After another short moment of silence, Lucy finally asked, "Is it weird to want life to go back to the way that it used to be?"

Tenley looked at her, shaking her head. "Of course not. This isn't normal. I'm not sure that anyone else in this world, if they were in your shoes, would think or feel differently."

Lucy stopped putting the pieces away and met the doctor's gaze. "It's just... I keep thinking about my sister. I'm terrified that I'll never be able to save her, that Rittenhouse has completely destroyed all connections that would lead me back to her." Tenley listened as Lucy continued to talk about her fears and concerns that she had moving forward. "Flynn told me that Emma had made another threat against me, but he's convinced that it's more than her normal threats."

"What do you mean?" Tenley asked, brows furrowed.

Lucy shook her head. "I don't know..." She thought for a moment. She looked back at the doctor and added, "Emma has been trying to kill me for a while now."

"What's stopped her?" the doctor questioned.

Lucy smirked. "My mother, mostly."

"So, you're thinking that Emma might actually do something to you that your mother won't be able to stop?" Tenley probed.

"That's what I think Flynn believes," Lucy stated.

"And what do you think?" Tenley pushed.

Lucy shrugged, almost dejectedly. "I don't know."

"What would killing you accomplish?" Tenley asked, leaning against the table.

Lucy admitted, "I'm not sure...other than being out of the way." When she saw the confusion written on Tenley's face, she added, "Emma and I don't exactly get along."

"What do you want to see come from this?" Tenley asked. "How do you want to handle this situation?"

"I don't think that I have much choice," Lucy replied.

"Why not?" Tenley asked. Lucy shot her a look of disbelief. Tenley continued, "You have a choice, Lucy. We all do. Every day, we are faced with a series of choices. When to wake up. What to wear - this top or that one? Coffee or tea? Cream or milk? Sugar or not?" When Lucy nodded that she understood the questions, Tenley started to make her point. "If you didn't have a choice, I think you would have been killed by Emma a long time ago."

Lucy furrowed her brow at the doctor. "What?"

"It's clear that your choice has been to fight back," the doctor mentioned. "If you hadn't been making the choice to fight back, you wouldn't be standing here listening to me drone on about choices."

Lucy chuckled. "You make it seem so easy."

"Making the choice is easy," she replied. "It's following through with your choice that's hard."

Lucy took the doctor's words in. She was mulling them over. "Thanks," she said. "For the pep talk. I'll see you later?"

Tenley nodded. "Of course. Any time. I'll be here." Lucy smiled and walked out of the common living area, leaving Tenley standing there by herself, with board game pieces.

When Tenley finished cleaning up the board games, she stacked them carefully on top of one another to carry back to her room. The stack was larger than she thought, and almost dropped them a couple of times as she tried to navigate through the corridors back to her room.

As she rounded the corner, she heard someone shout, "Whoa! Here, let me help you."

Tenley felt some of the board games lift from her stack. When she looked to see who had come to her aid, she was face to face with Wyatt. He was smiling kindly at her. She returned the gesture. "Thanks. That's helpful."

"Sorry for ruining game night," he started. "It was stupid to have argued over the rules."

Tenley started walking down the hallway with Wyatt next to her. She pointed out, "It's especially silly since you two were fighting over fifth place."

Wyatt laughed. "There is that too, I suppose."

They entered the infirmary and placed the games on the floor by the sofa. Tenley mentioned, "But I'm assuming you didn't come seeking me out to apologize for being competitive."

Wyatt glanced over his shoulder to see that the door to the infirmary was still open. He reached over, closing it before saying, "No, actually... I wanted to talk to you about Lucy."

"What about her?" the doctor asked.

"Lucy hasn't exactly been herself these days," Wyatt began. "I'm worried about her." Tenley nodded. He added, "I know that Flynn told her that Emma was planning something terrible for her, but I think he might just be stressing her out for no good reason."

"How do you know that Flynn said anything to her?" Tenley asked, careful not to divulge information that was told to her in confidence.

Wyatt looked slightly embarrassed. "I overheard."

"You were eavesdropping," she corrected.

He smirked. "Call it what you will, but... I still think that he shouldn't be saying anything to her about that."

"Why not?" Tenley asked. "If someone heard a threat made about you, wouldn't you want to know?"

"Yes, but-" he started. When Tenley gave him that 'what did you expect' look, he added, "She's so focused on what Emma is going to do to her rather than the mission."

Tenley thought for a moment. "I'm not sure that I understand what you mean. Your last mission seemed to go smoothly," she stated. Then she remembered how badly beaten up Flynn was when they returned and quickly added, "Well, almost smoothly." Wyatt's smirk didn't go unnoticed by the doctor. She sighed and said, "You just need to be there for her, Wyatt. Stop withholding information from each other and you'll be fine. It's always worse to not tell someone something and then they find out."

Wyatt nodded. "Is there a way that you can tell Flynn to stop sharing?" When Tenley shook her head, he sighed. "It was worth a try."

"You care about her," she stated. He looked at the doctor and knew that it was a statement of a fact, not a question. He nodded. Tenley replied, "The best thing you can do for her is to be there and look out for her. Listen to her and things will work out for the best. It always does." Wyatt gave her a small smile, turned, and left the infirmary.

Tenley stood there thinking over everything that was shared with her in the last hour. First Lucy, then Wyatt. It was clear to her that the team was close, they cared for each other. She knew there was some tension still between Wyatt and Flynn, though it hadn't been explained and she didn't want to pry it out. She knew that eventually it would work itself out organically without her meddling, but it was becoming apparent that it might be the biggest strain on the team and their abilities to function the way they should.

She was becoming concerned for Lucy's wellbeing, however, especially since she had been informed by a couple of people now that Lucy had a major target painted on her back and Emma was constantly seeking it out. There were still a lot of details that she was still unaware of regarding the whole Lucy versus Emma situation and she knew that she would need to get the full story someday soon.

However, it would have to wait as the alarms began to blare throughout the bunker. She poked her head out in time to see everyone rushing to the main area. She followed the group.

"Where are they now?" Christopher asked.

Jiya replied, "Maryland, February 1818."

Lucy looked taken aback by the date. In her mind, she was sifting through years of history, trying to make heads or tails for that particular date. Everyone could see her wheels turning, but not making any headway. Finally, she said, "That was around the time that Frederick Douglass was supposedly born."

"What do you mean 'supposedly'?" Christopher asked.

Lucy blinked a few times, trying to think of another answer as she stated, "The documenting of slaves' births weren't recorded very well back then, but they believed him to have been born on Valentine's Day."

"So," Wyatt asked. "Rittenhouse is trying to kill him before he's born?"

Lucy could only shrug. "Maybe, I mean, I can't imagine why he's a target though." She closed her brown eyes and stated, "I mean, I could see _why_ they'd target him, but not now..."

"Details, Lucy," Denise requested.

Lucy sighed, trying to think of how to explain all of the muddled thoughts flying through her head. "He's a prominent figure in history. He was an abolitionist, a supporter of the suffragette movement, an author, an editor, a diplomat - he was one of Lincoln's closest friends..." She thought for a moment. "He was one of the strongest voices in all of those matters...maybe by silencing him, the outcomes would not have been so favorable."

Christopher noticed that Lucy couldn't say for sure the motives of Rittenhouse and why they were targeting the people they were targeting. It was unfair of everyone to ask so much of the woman. To try and take some of the expectations off of Lucy, she asked, "So, who's on the team?"

Lucy suggested, "If he's about to be born..." she turned to Tenley. "I think you should be there."

Tenley's brown eyes grew large. "Wh-what?"

Lucy explained, "You're a doctor. You'd know what to do if something goes wrong."

"But I've not-" she stammered. "I've not-" she motioned to the Lifeboat. "I've never ... I thought I was supposed to just patch people up when they came back."

"And Flynn looks great since you've shown up," Wyatt joked. Flynn tossed a sneer at the man. Rufus tried hard to hide his laughter. Wyatt replied, "You'll be fine as long as you stick with us."

Lucy stated, "Actually, I think that Flynn would be better on this one."

Wyatt looked at her in shock. "What? You can't be-"

Denise cut him off. "Very well. Lucy, Rufus, Flynn, and Tenley. Get going." She whispered to Tenley as she started to slowly approach the machine, "You'll be fine. Stick close to the team."

Tenley couldn't even speak. She felt sick to her stomach. She had signed on to take care of the team when they got injured or wounded. She hadn't expected to be forced to jump into a time machine and stop a crazed cult from changing history - a subject she was pseudo comfortable with.

She sat down into one of the four chairs in the Lifeboat and started to buckle herself in with shaky hands.

Rufus stated, "Don't worry. After your first jump through time, you'll be used to it. You might even find it fun."

"Like you do?" she retorted. "You're always saying how you hate history."  
"Because I'm black," he commented. "I don't mind history if I'm reading about it...not living it, there's a difference."

Lucy interjected to stop a fight from happening, "You'll be fine."

"I forgot my bag," Tenley shouted, realizing her mistake. She started to reach for the buckle but was stopped.

"You can't bring anything with you," Lucy replied. "At least, not anything modern like that. It would change history."

Tenley blinked at the comment. "And bringing our modern clothes and Flynn's gun won't?"

Lucy sighed. She knew how scared the doctor was. She couldn't blame her for feeling and saying the things that she was saying. She had been there herself once. She simply replied, "We need the gun. That's sort of a safety net in case something happens."

Tenley had stopped listening. She was already bracing herself for the jump as she listened to the engine whir. She focused on her breathing. In and out. In and out. When the machine started shaking and the inside consoles were beeping wildly, she clenched the straps to her harness and closed her eyes tightly.

Her whole body felt light for a moment, as though floating through space. The hair on her arms stood at attention and she felt a wave of warmth and electricity wash over her. When the shaking ceased, her body felt energized as if she had slept for ten hours and had three cups of coffee.

"We're here," Rufus announced, mostly for Tenley's benefit.

The doctor opened her eyes to see that the team had already cracked open the hatch to the cold winter world outside and started to emerge from within. Tenley felt shaky as if the cups of proverbial coffee didn't agree with her. She undid her harness and slowly made her way out of the machine. It didn't help that she was beginning to feel the cold air engulf her.

Once on solid ground, she vomited. Thankfully, she had very little in her stomach and it was mostly dry heaving in the snow. She sat down on the snow bank, knees up and arms resting on top. She had her head between her knees, breathing in and out.

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It will pass." Tenley glanced up once she started to feel more like herself and met the familiar brown eyes of Lucy. Lucy smiled and said, "Come on. We need to find some clothes and coats."

Tenley reached out and took the outstretched hand of Lucy. Once on her feet, they began trudging through the deep snow.


	11. Eyes On Me

The team had managed to find a change of clothes. Once they had changed and gathered some Winter apparel, they set out towards the plantation that sat in between Hillsboro and Cordova, where Lucy had claimed the cabin where Douglass would be born was located. She had taken the time to explain the importance of the man to the team, who they would be looking for as far as his relatives or even masters. She carefully explained that this great man in history had been born into a life of slavery and his father was most likely his master, but it hadn't been proven.

The snow proved to be challenging to trudge through, especially for Lucy and Tenley who had massive skirts to maneuver, but once they found a road that had been used frequently enough that the snow was practically matted down solid, they had an easier time.

The team stood on the road, peering down into the valley where there was a small town at the bottom of the hill. Outside the town, they could spot a couple of plantations. There was no saying which one was the one they needed to get to. The best plan that they had in all of this was to head to town and begin asking questions.

The town was a quaint place. There were several shops, a tavern for the community to go and unwind, one hotel for travelers, Town Hall which sat in the center of the town across the street from the church, and the Mayor's house. Tenley's eyes were wide as she took in all of the town. It felt like a movie; all that was missing were some bandits and horses.

Flynn had been silent for most of their trip. He had been observing Tenley as she experienced time travel for the first time. He tried to remember what it was like for him when he first went through, but his focus then had been to track down and eliminate Rittenhouse in hopes to save his family from a cruel and undeserved death.

Rufus asked, "What's the plan here? I mean, we can't exactly ask about any pregnant slaves."

Lucy was deep in thought. She was nodding as if she was having a conversation in her head and was in agreement with whatever she was saying. Eventually, she said, "We need to find the Baileys. Either Harriet or Betty." She saw their confused faces and stated, "Harriet was his mother and Betty his grandmother. If we can track down either one of them, then we'll have found him."

"I'm still confused," Tenley admitted. "What does Rittenhouse want with him?"

Lucy shook her head. "I don't know. I wish that I did." She turned to Flynn and asked, "Did the journal say anything about this?"

He tilted his head slightly in thought before shaking his head. "No. Nothing."

"Wait," Tenley interjected. "Journal?"

"Apparently," Rufus started. "Lucy wrote a journal about everything we'd been through and went back in time to give to Flynn when he started this whole mess."

Tenley blinked at him, glancing between Lucy and Flynn. She seemed almost in disbelief to hear about this. She muttered, "My life is a science fiction novel."

Lucy cleared her throat. "We better start looking for the Baileys." She started walking. "Come on."  
Flynn walked in step with Lucy. Rufus waited on an overwhelmed Tenley before asking her, "Are you okay?"

She offered a short smile. "Sure..." She shook her head, starting to fall in line with the others. She muttered, "What have I signed up for?"

Rufus chuckled. "You'll get used to it." When Tenley raised an eyebrow at him, he added, "Eventually."

"I'm not sure I'll ever get used to this," she admitted. After a moment of thinking, she asked, "If there's a journal out there that has all the answers to what we're about to face, why aren't we all reading it? Even if it is just before jumping in the machine to chase after these crazy cultists?"

Rufus shrugged. "Maybe it's the time paradox thing." When he saw Tenley smirk, he laughed. "Now that, sounds like science fiction."

Walking ahead of Rufus and Tenley, Lucy and Flynn were having their own conversation, but on a different matter. Flynn glanced over his shoulder to spy Rufus and Tenley a few paces behind them. He shot Lucy a quick glance and asked, "Do you think she's up for this?"

Lucy looked up at him. "Tenley? Why wouldn't she be?"

"I'm not talking just about making sure Douglass is born safely," he started. "I'm talking about the whole picture; time traveling, Rittenhouse, all of it."

Lucy thought for a moment. "I think she's just trying to understand what she's gotten herself into. I mean, let's be honest here; I think we have all had a similar reaction to this life." Flynn smirked, tearing his eyes away from her. She added, "Well, maybe not you, but I know that we did."

Flynn still wore an amused smile on his face as they approached the tavern door. "I guess only time will tell." Lucy smiled up at him before crossing the threshold into the tavern.

Inside, the tavern was sparse with patrons. The barkeep was polishing his glasses and he glanced up to see the four enter. He narrowed his eyes at the group as they began to make their way towards him. "What can I do for you?"

Flynn leaned against the bar. "I'm looking for someone."

"Ain't we all?" the barkeep joked. He turned to the rest of the group and stated, "Looks like you've already got yourself someone."

Flynn looked over at the rest of the team and shook his head. "I meant that I'm looking for an old family friend."

"Oh," the barkeep laughed. "Who'd that be? I know most everyone here."

"The Baileys," Flynn replied.

The man's face fell slightly. He quickly recovered and asked, "Why are you looking for them?"

"Like I said," Flynn started. "They're old friends."

The barkeep eyed Rufus a little longer than anyone liked. When the man turned his attention back to Flynn, he said, "They're out on an old cabin East of Tappers Corner." Before Flynn could ask for more specific directions, the man was already giving them to him.

Flynn nodded his thanks and the group left the tavern. Once outside, Flynn turned to Rufus. "He didn't seem to like you."

"I noticed," Rufus muttered, shifting uncomfortably in his spot.

Tenley asked, "What does that have to do with anything?" When all eyes fell on her, she threw her hands up defensively for a second, adding, "Aside from the obvious race issue..." She turned to Rufus. "I don't mean that to sound as offensive as it's sounding, but... I mean, that can't be the only reason..." she scanned the group again. "Can it?"

Lucy shook her head. "I don't think so. I think maybe he recognized him somewhere..." Lucy was thinking over the details once more.

Flynn shrugged. "We'll cross that bridge later. Right now, we need to make the trip out to Tappers Corner."

"I agree," Rufus agreed quickly. Everyone noted how quick he was to leave town. They saw that he had been staring out into the town square. They turned to see a group of men dressed smartly in suits, watching them. Something about this group of men was disconcerting.

The team had begun walking through the rest of the town, careful to keep one eye on the group of well-dressed men. As they passed the last shop on the main stretch, something caught Rufus's eyes. He stopped and glared at the bulletin board. "Hey, check this out."

The three gathered around him. On the board was a poster with an elaborate story on how a very wealthy family was greatly concerned for the well-being of their only daughter. They would pay great wealth to the person who would bring her home. The story of what happened to the daughter was included on the poster - she had been kidnapped and held against her will, traveling all across the state with her abductors. If anyone were to find the daughter and her captors, they were to contact a company named, 'Bloodstone' - the contact information was included after the name. Beneath the elaborate story was a series of pictures, much like an old 'Wanted' poster would have had. The pictures on the poster were of Flynn, Rufus, and Wyatt. The picture of the woman that had been abducted was Lucy. None of the pictures looked like any of them, and even Lucy's portrait looked like any average woman.

"I don't look like that," Rufus complained.

"None of us do," Lucy remarked, head tilted sideways.

Flynn sighed. "Seriously? That's what you took from this?" When everyone glanced up to meet his agape expression, he added, "We've got targets on our backs now. Rittenhouse is pulling out new tricks to find us. This makes sense now, why that barkeep was staring at Rufus."

"But this doesn't even look like me!" Rufus practically shouted.

Tenley motioned for him to lower his voice. "Want to shout that a little louder next time?"

Lucy reached forward and pulled the poster off of the board, folding it up, and tucking it into her pocket. "There, now it's gone."

"We'd better hurry," Flynn said, lifting his head up. He was noticing the group of suited men carefully watching them. "We're attracting attention."

The group didn't hesitate or fight him on the decision to head out. In fact, it was a welcome order. There was something unsettling about the town, and it wasn't just because of the suited men or the poster they found. It was something they couldn't identify past a feeling of intuition.

As they walked, Lucy had pulled the poster back out to examine. She stared at the pictures, Rufus beside her. "I don't understand," she started. "Why would they do this?"

Rufus spoke before anyone else could. "I can't believe that they couldn't hire better artists." He stared at the caricature that was supposed to be him. It looked nothing like him. He was understanding how all of those heroes in cowboy movies felt when they saw their posters and they failed to deliver. His sketch showed a pretty generic looking black man with a high forehead and sunken eyes. "My eyes aren't even that close together, are they?"

Flynn rolled his eyes. He didn't care that his portrait didn't capture his likeness. It just meant that for the time being, he was able to say that they had the wrong man. It gave him more time to do the job at hand. It was unsettling to him that Rittenhouse was beginning to use these type of tactics to track the team down for whatever reason. Instinct told him that it was to find Lucy quicker in whatever era they were in. Emma's last threat was ringing in his hears loudly.

Lucy studied Wyatt's picture and hers. Neither really looked like them, just like the others had failed. What troubled her was how her image could potentially be any woman. How many innocent travelers would be mistaken for her because of the poor sketch? If Rittenhouse was behind this, it made her weary about the warnings that Flynn had presented to her earlier. She was grateful that Wyatt wasn't present. He would most likely force her to go back to the Lifeboat with Rufus and either go home or wait for them to finish the job. She released a heavy sigh.

"You okay?" Tenley asked, hearing the sigh.

Lucy nodded, folding up the poster and returning it to the safety of her pocket. "It's just odd to me why they would go to all of this trouble."

"Make their jobs easier?" Tenley guessed. "Though, Rufus does have a point. Rittenhouse could have hired a better artist." Feeling uneasy, almost like they were being watched, Tenley stopped on the road and glanced about. She didn't see anything that would have her worry. Thankfully, the snow would make anything else standout against the white, but she wasn't seeing anything in the fields surrounding them, nor in the tree line that sat on the far edge of the fields. For whatever reason though, she felt eyes on her.

"Hey!" Rufus shouted back to her. "You coming?"

Tenley hadn't realized that the others had continued down the road without her when she stopped. She quickly jogged back up to the group, careful not to slip on the ice and snow.

The trek through the snow towards Tappers Corner was a long one. It wasn't necessarily due to the distance, but because of the drop in temperature and the winds that had increased. A storm was approaching. The clouds were darkening and the chill had moved in. They were exposed to the elements and were unprepared for the harsh Winter conditions.

"There!" Rufus shouted. "I see the cabin!" He pointed across the fields before them. Sure enough, they could make out the edge of the roof within the snow covered fields. There was even a small plume of smoke emerging from the chimney stack.

Flynn rubbed his frozen hands together, blowing into them before lifting his coat collar up around his neck. "Let's hurry it up then."

The girls had wrapped their arms together, tucking their fingers under their armpits. Their faces were pale with red noses and cheeks. They stumbled behind the men as they lead the way across the fields towards the cabin.

Lucy's foot sunk into the snow, causing both of them to tumble into the snowdrift. If it hadn't been for the blowing snow and strong cold winds, the two women would have laughed about it. Instead, they struggled to help one another up onto their feet to keep up with the men who were nearing the cabin.

Once they reached the door to the cabin, Flynn pounded his fist on the wooden door. It wasn't long before the door opened and they were greeted by a tall and muscular black man holding a rifle. Flynn's hands shot up defensively.

The man took in the four people shivering on his front step. Reluctantly, he lowered his rifle and motioned for the group to enter as he stepped to the side.

The team didn't hesitate to seek shelter from the storm inside the cabin. The moment they crossed the threshold into the cabin, they were engulfed in the warmth that pooled out from the fireplace.

An elderly black woman had stood up from her chair in the corner near the fire the moment her eyes fell upon the group. She quickly padded across the room, grabbing a couple of blankets. She turned around and handed blankets to Rufus and Flynn.

The man who had opened the door had handed Tenley and Lucy a blanket each. Once everyone was wrapped up in the wool blankets, the man who greeted them asked, "Who are you? What are you doing out here in this storm?"

Lucy would have spoken up first, but she could barely feel her lips. She was shaking underneath her blanket. Instead, the task fell on Flynn. "We were looking for the Baileys."

"Why are you looking for them?" the man asked, arms crossed over his broad chest. Flynn eyed the man, knowing that if he wanted to, he could toss them outside to freeze to death.

Flynn replied, "It's a complicated story."

"Uncomplicate it," the man replied, his tone of voice growing uneasy.

"You see," Rufus started. "We believe that someone might be after Harriet's baby."

The elderly woman's mouth fell open. "Good Heavens, whatever for?"

Before anyone from the team could try to explain, the man who greeted them spat, "Maybe it's because that baby belongs to Mr. Aaron."

"Who's Aaron?" Rufus asked.

Lucy stuttered, "Anthony Aaron was ... uh, is... the master of the plantation these good people work at."

The two Baileys looked at her, narrowed their eyes in suspicion before turning to each other. The man asked, "What do they want with my sister's baby?"

"We don't know," Lucy admitted. "We just wanted to make sure that her baby was born safely."

"Does this have anything to do with those men in town?" the elderly woman asked.

"The ones in the suits?" Rufus questioned. When the woman nodded, he shrugged. "Possibly."  
The man laughed. "You're the people on the poster, ain't ya?" The team exchanged looks with each other. The man laughed harder. "You don't look like your pictures at all."

Rufus nodded. "I know, it's ridiculous..." Rufus realized his mistake and suddenly got very quiet.

The man shook his head. "Is it true what that poster says about you?"

"No," Lucy stated. "It's not true. I'm the girl they are talking about."

"So, you're not being held against your will?" the woman asked, clearly concerned for her wellbeing.

Lucy shook her head, offering a kind smile. "No, I'm not."

The woman turned her attention to Tenley. "And what about you?"

"What about me?" Tenley asked, shivering under the blanket still. Her dress was still damp from the tumble into the snow, but her hair was sopping wet. She could feel the drops of cold water dripping onto her neck and shoulders.

The woman asked, "Are you being held against your will?"

Tenley's brown eyes were wide. "No, of course not."

"It's just," the woman began. "You look like you're in a state of panic." Flynn turned to look at her. Outside of her wet appearance, she seemed fine. He understood what the old woman meant though, because Tenley looked out of place, almost like a child who had lost their parents in the store and was panicking.

Tenley took a deep breath, trying to relax. "I'm not here against my will. Thank you for asking, though."  
Flynn asked, "Does anyone know what those suits are doing here?"

The man shook his head. "No. They showed up about three or four months ago."

"Months?" Lucy asked, almost surprised. "Why so long?"

The man shook his head again. "Who knows? But they've been talking with a lot of the people in town, some had the fear of God put into them."

"What about?" Rufus asked.

"No one knows," the man replied. "No one's talking."

Before they could continue to talk, a very pregnant woman had walked into the room. She took in everyone's presence and then turned to her family. "What's going on here?"

The man said, "These people are here to make sure your baby is born safely." He motioned to the woman. "This is Harriet." He pointed to the elderly woman and added, "My mother, Betty. And I'm Jacob."

Rufus took it upon himself to make the introductions. "I'm Rufus. That's Flynn, Lucy, and Tenley."

Jacob asked, "So, you never did explain why the sudden interest in this baby...who's after it?"

"We don't know," Lucy stated. "It could be that group in town. As soon as the storm lifts, we will go and check them out."

"Those Bloodstone men," Harriet started. "Evil men, they are. Every last one of em."  
Every pair of eyes fell upon her after her statement. The team had recalled the name Bloodstone from the poster, but it was the first time they had heard the name since.

"What do you know of them?" Lucy prodded.

Harriet shook her head. "Best not to speak of them."

"It would be helpful to us to know what you know about them," Flynn started.

"Why?" Harriet asked. "So they can kill you too?"

The team exchanged glances. "They've killed people?" Rufus asked, braving the question. Harriet nodded. "Who?"

Harriet shook her head. "What does it matter? Why are you really here?"

Lucy stepped forward. "Really, we're here to help."

Jacob peered outside and stated, "Well, you ain't going nowhere. This storm won't be letting up any time soon." He turned around, giving his sister a glance before saying, "Might as well make yourselves comfortable."


	12. Buried In The Snow

As the storm raged on outside, the team had done their best to get Harriet to speak about Bloodstone. She refused. There seemed to be no force on Earth that would make her speak of them. She seemed nervous though, that much they could tell.

Jacob, Rufus, and Flynn were in the other room, looking out the windows at the storm. Flynn asked softly, "What is Bloodstone?"

Jacob shook his head, quickly glancing over his shoulder to make sure that Harriet wasn't nearby. He turned back to the men. "I don't really know. Like I said before, they came into town about two or three months ago. They started hanging their posters around the town, talking to some of the shop keepers..."

"Who'd they kill, do you know?" Rufus asked.

Jacob raised his shoulders briefly. "There was talk a few weeks back about one of the plantation owners being murdered after a visit from them."

"What for?" Rufus prodded. "Why kill a plantation owner?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Jacob admitted. "All I know is that whenever you're in town, they're watching you. Don't matter who you are. They stare you down, waiting for you to do something they don't like."

"How many of them are there?" Flynn questioned.

Jacob thought about it for a moment. "I think there's four, maybe five of 'em. They stay at the hotel...took all the rooms too."

"How many rooms are at the hotel?" Rufus asked.

Jacob shrugged. "Maybe ten? I've never stayed there, but I know the owners. They're good people."

Flynn questioned, "Are they expecting more to arrive?"

"Look," Jacob started. "I don't know much more about them. I just know that if you even look at them sideways, they kill you."

"Are you speaking from fact or," Rufus paused.

Jacob glared at him. "It's a small town. Word travels fast around here, even if we don't see it."

Flynn released a heavy sigh. He felt like he was listening to someone with a wild imagination. Nothing was fact based. He hated listening to those kinds of accounts. It left too much to the imagination, and people who lived in the town were certainly using theirs to fill in the gaps. It was dangerous.

Rufus stated, "Looks like the storm is starting to slow."

Jacob glanced outside the window. "Might just be a break from the storm. If you're hoping to get to town, now's the time to try before the storm comes back." Flynn nodded.

The women sat in the main room. Betty was working on her needlepoint design, Harriet was sitting by the fire grimacing occasionally as she rubbed her belly. Lucy had tried to get them to share anything about what was going on in town to them, but Harriet refused, which made Betty clam up as well. Tenley sat quietly in a chair studying Harriet's movements and facial expressions.

"Please, it's very important, not just for us," Lucy begged. "But for your baby."

"Why won't you let it go?" Harriet spat. "If I tell you anything about them and they find out it was me, what do you think would happen to me and my baby?"

"We can stop them," Lucy pleaded. "But not if we don't know what we're up against!"

Harriet released a sharp gasp, placing her hand onto the small of her back. Tenley's eyes narrowed as she asked, "How long have you been in labor?"

Harriet's eyes flitted up to meet Tenley's. "A while."  
Tenley raised her eyebrow at her. "What does that mean, a while?" She turned to Betty. "How long?"

Betty ignored Harriet's pleading eyes. "About an hour before you showed up."

Tenley turned back to Harriet. "Has your water broke?" She was growing increasingly aware of the situation.

"No," Harriet groaned. "It hasn't."

Tenley continued with her questioning, "How frequent are your pains coming? If you had to guess?"

"Every few minutes," Harriet admitted through another contraction. "Why?"

Tenley sighed. "Your baby's on the way."

"That's impossible," Harriet hissed. "My water ain't broke yet."

Tenley shook her head. "It doesn't always happen." She stood up and approached Harriet. She touched her belly, pushing slightly as she felt. Sure enough, the baby was ready to make it's appearance.

Harriet asked, "What are you? A midwife?"

"Something like that," Tenley muttered. She turned to Betty. "We need hot water and clean cloth." Betty got up and rushed to the other room where the men were coming out from. Tenley helped Harriet to her feet. "Let's get you somewhere more comfortable."

"What's going on?" Jacob asked.

"Baby's comin'!" Harriet announced.

Flynn sighed. This couldn't have been a worse time in his mind. He turned to Rufus. "Do you think you can manage to stay here with Tenley, help her here?"

"Yes," Rufus started. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to take Lucy back to town," Flynn stated. "See if I can find these Bloodstone people, find out what they're doing here."

"I'll go with you," Jacob offered. "I've got some horses out back that we can take." Flynn nodded and Jacob tossed his coat on, exiting the house to get the horses.

Flynn motioned to Lucy. "We've got to go. Are you ready?"

Lucy looked conflicted on what to do. She wasn't sure if she should go with Flynn or stay with Tenley and help. Rufus saw the struggle and pointed out, "I should probably stay here with them."

Lucy nodded and the two headed outside where Jacob was waiting for them. Rufus watched as the three rode off into the Winter afternoon. His eyes tore away from the window when he heard a blood curdling scream emerge from behind him. He whirled around to see that Harriet was now laying on the bed in the corner of the room.

Tenley glanced up at him and asked, "Mind holding her hand?" He shook his head and sat next to Harriet on the bed. She didn't hesitate in taking his hand, and he immediately knew what it felt like to have someone place a death grip on his hand. Every joke about delivering a baby seemed to be less funny now that it was happening to him. He just hoped Harriet didn't break any of his fingers.

Betty returned with a pot of steaming hot water and several strips of clean cloth. She even brought a clean blanket for when the baby arrived. She looked at Tenley. "What else can I do?"

Tenley started to roll up her sleeves before washing her hands in the basin. "We wait."

Jacob had been right. Using horses to get into town proved to be not only useful in navigating the deep snow, but much quicker. It took them a fraction of the time to get to town from the cabin than it had when they first arrived.

In the town, the people were going about their daily life as if it were any other day. Not one person seemed to acknowledge their presence. Lucy asked, "Should we check the hotel first?"

Flynn nodded. "That's a good place to start."

Jacob didn't seem convinced. "What are you going to do?"

"I just want to talk with them," Flynn fibbed. Truth be told, Flynn wanted to talk to them, but he wouldn't let them live, not if what they told him and what he feared them to be were one in the same. Flynn hopped off his horse, handing the reins over to Jacob. "I won't be long."

"And if you are?" Jacob asked.

Flynn glanced over at Lucy before saying, "Get her back to the cabin, and get them out of there, safely."

Lucy was about to protest, but Jacob nodded. "Yes sir."

"At least let me come with you," Lucy started. But Flynn was already inside the hotel.

The hotel was a homely affair inside. There was a floral wallpaper that looked like it would fit well inside any senior citizen's home. The flowers that adorned practically every table were filled with flowers that had once been beautiful before the Winter struck. There was a blanket of dust adorning the furniture and the counter, which told him that no one had been working the hotel in quite some time. He promptly removed his gun from within his coat pocket.

Carefully, Flynn navigated the room and halls of the main floor. There was no sign of the hotelier. After feeling confident that he had checked the entire main floor, he began to make his way up the stairs. With each step, he was taking in his surroundings, trying to see signs of a person being present. So far, he hadn't seen anything.

Floor after floor, room after room, he felt as though he was in a museum. Nothing had been touched more moved in quite a while. All the rooms were left practically frozen in time, waiting patiently for a guest to occupy it. The beds were made, the window shades were open, fresh towels hung on the bathtubs.

It wasn't until he came back to the main floor that he noticed a door that he missed. It went to the basement. He cautiously opened the door and started down the rickety steps into the dark space below. Once inside the basement, he could smell the foul stench of death emanating from within.

Flynn lit a nearby candle and discovered the rotting bodies of whom he believed to be the hotelier and his wife. They had been dead for at least the length of time that Jacob stated these suited men had arrived into town. Now it all made sense as to why the hotel was completely rented out. These men were covering their tracks.

Flynn couldn't understand the reasoning behind this. Why would Rittenhouse murder these people, take the hotel, but not do anything with it? Why were they utilizing a new name - Bloodstone - for their purposes? Was it to confuse them? Nothing was adding up. He blew the candle out and headed up the stairs to exit the hotel.

Once he exited the hotel and met the concerned gazes of Jacob and Lucy, he stated, "No one's been inside for a long while."

"That can't be right," Jacob stated. "Those men are here every night."  
Flynn shook his head. "No one's been inside. There's no signs of anyone being in that building since the owners were murdered."

"Murdered? No!" Jacob seemed distraught. "Those were good folk."

Lucy asked, "Who are these people?" She had been referring to the Bloodstone group, not the hotel owners, but Jacob didn't catch on.

"They've owned this hotel for as long as I can remember," he began. "They treated everyone with respect, even us slaves."

Flynn glanced about town as Jacob continued his monologue. There was an eerie feeling about the town. The people seemed almost relaxed, like they were finally able to breathe. He looked up at Lucy. "We should talk to the barkeep and see what he knows."

She nodded, climbing down from the horse and passing the reins off to Jacob. "We won't be long."

Jacob nodded and watched as Flynn and Lucy crossed the street towards the tavern. He sat on his horse, holding onto the other two. He still couldn't believe that someone would murder two innocent gentle people.

The tavern was a busy place this time around. When Flynn and Lucy entered, there were people at practically every table, music blared from the piano that sat in the corner of the room. Laughing and loud conversations filled the room. People seemed overly happy, more so than when they first arrived.

Flynn grew rigid. This was such a shift in behavior for the townsfolk in under 24 hours. He approached the bar with Lucy close behind him. The barkeep saw him, nodded his acknowledgement that Flynn had returned and finished up with the customer on the opposite end of the bar. When the man approached Flynn, he asked, "Find who you were looking for?"

Flynn gave a curt nod. "In part. I'm hoping you can tell me why everyone is in good spirits today."

The barkeep smiled. "Those suits finally left town. I guess they realized that whatever they were looking for wasn't here."

"They left?" Lucy asked in shock. "When?"

The barkeep glanced between the two before saying, "A few hours ago, why?"

Flynn's face fell. He suddenly realized his mistake. He turned to face Lucy. She hadn't made the connection yet. She was looking up at him, confused. She could tell that he had come to some kind of realization, but what it was, she didn't know and her mind was scrambling to catch up with him. Flynn's heart raced. He left Tenley and Rufus exposed and unprotected.

He started to head out of the tavern, turning back to the barkeep and said, "Thank you!" The barkeep just waved and went on about his business which had suddenly increased since the well-dressed men left town.

Lucy followed Flynn outside. Once they were there and crossing the street to get back onto their horses, he shook his head. "I should have known better."

"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked, trying to keep up with his long strides.

He whirled around, not stopping his pace. "We've been played."

"What? How?" Lucy asked, taking the reins that were outstretched from Jacob.

Flynn had already mounted his horse. "They set us up. They've been by the cabin the whole time." When Lucy was on her horse, Flynn added, "Rufus and Tenley are in danger."

"And my family!" Jacob announced as he quickly set his horse into a gallop towards the cabin. Lucy and Flynn followed shortly behind.

Agonizing screams came from Harriet as she pushed. Rufus had clenched his teeth and eyes with each squeeze of his hand that Harriet placed on him. He was praying that her labor wouldn't last much longer and his hand would be intact when it was said and done.

Tenley had been talking Harriet through the process. She had been telling her about the crowning and that the baby was beginning come. Tenley announced, "The head is out! Once you get those shoulders out, it'll be all smooth sailing from here!" As Harriet continued to push, something caught Tenley's eyes. She quickly shouted, "Stop pushing!" Harriet tried to keep going, but Tenley looked up at her. "You listen to me! You have got to stop pushing right now!"

"Why?" Harriet cried out, sweat dripping down her face.

"The umbilical cord is wrapped around your baby's neck," Tenley told her. "I've got to try and work it off so you don't accidently strangle your baby."

Harriet started crying. She was scared and Tenley couldn't blame her. This was a scary situation. Tenley started to loosen the grip the cord had on the baby carefully. Once she was confident that it wouldn't get stuck again, she tapped Harriet's knee gently. "Okay, let's try this again... Push!" Harriet listened to the instructions Tenley was giving her. Within moments of telling her to stop and start again, the baby's shoulders were breeched. "You've got the shoulders! One more push should do the trick!"

Harriet screamed one last time, pushing with all of her might before she collapsed back in bed, still holding on to Rufus's hand.

The room was filled with baby's cries. Tenley began to cut the cord, clean up the baby, and wrap him up in the blanket that Betty had procured. She smiled as she held one of the most influential people in her arms. It was a privilege to be this close to someone that powerful. She took the bundle of joy over to Harriet with a smile. "It's a beautiful boy."

Harriet took the bundled up baby from Tenley, tears of joy had streamed down her sweaty face, and a smile plastered over her lips. "He is a beauty, ain't he?"

Tenley turned to wash her hands and arms. The moment she reached the wash basin on the other side of the room, the front door to the cabin was kicked in. The baby screamed and wailed; Harriet, Betty, and Rufus had jumped in shock, huddling down in the corner of the room.

Four men in suits had entered the house. They eyed the group of them inside, before their glaring eyes landed on Tenley. The man in the front had pointed to her. "You're coming with us."

Tenley's mouth fell agape. "What?" It came out almost as a whisper. No one really heard her.

Two of the suited men standing behind the first approached a startled and scared Tenley. They grabbed her upper arms aggressively and started out into the open Winter day. The first man aimed his gun at the group huddled in the corner of the room. "None of you come outside and you'll live."

As the men began to leave, the first one stopped and turned back around, looking at the group once more. He said, "Congratulations on your baby." With that, he left the cabin.

Rufus blinked away the fear and confusion for a moment. He suddenly realized that those men thought he was Jacob, not part of the team. If he were them, he would have thought the same thing considering he was sitting next to the woman who just gave birth, gushing over the newest member of the family. He worried what would happen to Tenley.

As he stood up and started for the door, Harriet shouted, "Don't! They'll kill you!"

Rufus looked out the window to see if anyone was outside watching. He could see the four men and Tenley heading towards the woods nearby. He turned and asked, "How far do those trees go?"

Betty shook her head. "I don't know. Jacob would."

Harriet replied, "It's a large wood, that's all I know." She could see Rufus struggling with the idea of heading out after the doctor. "You should wait for your friends to return."

"It might be too late by then," he replied. He felt torn. Part of him realized that he couldn't let these men take Tenley without a fight, but then he worried if he would be killed for leaving the cabin, or if the Bailey family with the recently born Frederick Douglass would be killed if he left them unguarded. It was a tough place to be in.


	13. Fallen Angel

Tenley looked at the men who were holding her as they moved quickly through the snow covered fields. The one on her left was a middle aged white man, probably ten years older than she was. He seemed battle hardened and not one to beg for mercy from. The man on her right could have been the left's twin had it not been for the simple fact that he was Middle Eastern.

She glanced over her shoulders to see the man who had been calling the shots talking with the fourth member of this group. The leader was another middle aged white man but he seemed like a man of virtue. She had wondered who he was and what he wanted with her.

The fourth man that was walking along with the leader looked like a boy who had just graduated high school. He seemed incredibly nervous about everything, almost unsure that this was something he wanted to be a part of. The look on his face told Tenley that he also knew that it might be too late to reconsider his position with these Suits.

They stopped several yards in the woods. The two men holding Tenley had released her, pushing her forward into the snow. She sat there, looking up at the group. "Please," she started. "Please let me go."

The leader stepped forward and looked down at her. "You won't be harmed if you listen and do as you're told." He tilted his head at her. "Who do you work for?"

"No one," she stammered. He hit her across the face hard with the back of his right hand. The right side of her face burned as the bruise started to form almost instantaneously.

He released a curt sigh. "Let's try that again, shall we?" Her dark eyes lifted to see him glaring down at her. "Who do you work for?"

She swallowed, eyes darting between the four that loomed over her. "I swear, I-" Another strike across her face landed. She could tell immediately that that strike broke the skin on the corner of her eye because the cold air created a sting that lingered longer than normal. Her breathing began to quicken with her fear rising. "I swear...please..."

The leader sighed, checking his pocket watch. He turned to the Middle Eastern man who was holding her moments earlier. "We need to check in. You come with me." He pointed to the other two. "Stay here with her. Get her to talk. We'll be back shortly." He replaced his watch back into his pocket and knelt down before Tenley. He whispered, "Do yourself a favor and cooperate. I'd hate to see someone of your stature rot in this God forsaken countryside."

With that, the leader stood up and headed deeper into the woods with one of the men, leaving Tenley under the watchful gaze of a scared boy and angry man.

Once the leader was out of sight, Tenley asked, "Who are you people? What do you want with me?"

The older man was already flexing his hands, pumping them into fists then releasing them, almost preparing himself with the task of beating Tenley up for information. She quickly glanced over to the boy, eyes pleading for him to help her.

The older man asked, "Are you ready to cooperate?"

Tenley shook in her place on the snow. "I don't know what you want."

The man leaned forward. "The truth."

"About what?" Tenley gasped frustrated. "I don't know who you are or what you're talking about!" She hadn't meant to speak so loudly and instantly regretted doing so when the man slapped her face hard.

He hissed, "Lower your voice!"

"Why? Who's out here in the middle of the woods that you're so afraid of?" Tenley asked. She wasn't sure why she was antagonizing the man. She was scared. Normally when she was scared, she huddled in a corner and whimpered softly until the storm passed...and it usually was a storm that had her afraid. She hated thunderstorms.

However, in this moment, she was feeling like she was going to die at the hands of these men, and she didn't know why. Maybe it was because she thought she was going to die that she was suddenly filled with bravery. She wanted to laugh and reminder herself that it wasn't bravery but stupidity at this junction, but now wasn't the time.

The man readied himself to hit Tenley once more for being so brazen, but before the blow landed, the boy had shouted, "Stop!" Tenley's eyes widened as she saw the kid aiming his gun at the man.

"What are you doing?" the man growled.

The boy was shaking. He was still torn on what he wanted to do. He said in a weak voice, "Leave her alone."

Tenley stood up from her place on the ground, hands defensively in front of her. "Just let me go..."

The man turned to face her. "Sit your ass back down before I make you." Tenley froze in her place. He turned back to the boy. "You best lower that gun out of my face before you regret being born, boy."

Tenley saw that they were so focused on one another that she had to take this chance to try and escape. It might be the only one that she would get. So she ran.

As she tried running through the snow-laden forest, she could hear the man running after her, shouting at her. She forced herself not to look behind her. She knew that if she tried to see where he was, she'd trip and fall or he'd be right there. She couldn't take the risk.

She realized as she was running that she hadn't noticed where the edge of the woods was. She feared that all she was accomplishing was running deeper into the woods, not in the direction of freedom. The snow was also getting deeper underfoot, sucking her feet down with every step, which meant that it was slowing her escape down.

The skirts she wore were getting tangled under her as she struggled to keep going, but it didn't matter. The man had caught up to her, yanking her down into the snow. He straddled her, pinning her to the frozen earth. He smacked her hard across the face. Hot blood started to seep down the corner of her frozen mouth.

"You really are a stubborn bitch," the man hissed. "Just like Emma said you were." Tenley was confused. She didn't know who Emma was and she didn't have a chance to ask. The man started to manhandle her, ripping her dress unintentionally as he tried to get her back up on her feet.

She heard the fabric tear and she could feel where the tears were based on the rush of frozen air that flooded into her clothes. He had managed to rip part of her shoulder down, the neck, and the hip on the right side.

Tenley struggled against his hold, trying to fight back. She managed to even land a good blow on his windpipe, causing him to stumble backwards, giving her another opportunity to escape, even though it was short lived.

The moment she tried to run, the boy was standing behind her, gun aimed at her. She raised her hands once more instinctively, trying to plead her case with the boy. "Please...just let me go," she tried. "I'm not who you think I am."

The boy said, "It doesn't matter what you say. We have to bring you with us."

"How old are you?" Tenley asked, trying a different approach.

The kid shifted in his place. "16."

"16," Tenley repeated. "I have a nephew your age...Why are you even here?"

The man had stood up, regaining his composure. Tenley turned to see that he had a knife. She was unable to get away from his grip as he held her back against his chest. She felt the cold steel against her skin, just below the collarbone on the left side. Her hands flew up to his wrist, trying to keep him from killing her.

The boy wavered for a moment. The gun moved between Tenley and the man behind her. She saw the confliction this poor kid had. She began to wonder if this was some sort of initiation mission for the boy, to prove his loyalty to the cause - whatever the cause was. She wasn't sure if they were Rittenhouse or this Bloodstone group. Either way, she might not live to tell the tale.

The man must have seen the boy's wavering as well because he hissed, "Pull the trigger and end this. We'll just tell Wells that she tried to escape and we had no choice."

Tenley's eyes pleaded silently with the boy. She could feel tears forming behind her eyes, willing them not to fall.

The man behind her smirked. He whispered into her ears, "You lose."

Just as Tenley's eyes closed and she could feel the tears drop down her cheeks. She heard the gunshot echo throughout the woods. Pain seared her chest and she felt herself falling into the frozen snow. She was engulfed by a heavy pressure, air slowly fading from her lungs.

Just as quickly as it happened, the pressure was lifted from her. Cold air burned her lungs as she took a deep breath in. Her eyes flew open and she was feeling hands helping her up. She glanced up to see the boy helping her sit. She whirled around to see the man laying dead in the snow. Her hands flew to her chest where she felt the searing pain and saw that the man had managed to cut her with his knife. Blood was trickling down her chest. She could tell from a quick examination that it wasn't life threatening.

She met the eyes of the boy before her. She saw the gun was still in his hand, still aimed at her. She tried to lower it but he recoiled. She carefully started, "Thank you..."

He shook his head. "Don't! Don't do that!"

"Okay," Tenley nervously replied. After a moment of watching the kid, she asked, "What now?"

The kid's eyes were darting all around him. He feared that the gunshot had warned the others to come after him. He ran a hand through his no longer neatly groomed hair. "Why didn't you just cooperate?"

Tenley took a deep breath. "Would you do the same if the tables were turned?" She knew she was on thin ice. This kid wasn't stable which meant he was the most dangerous kind of enemy. He was unpredictable.

A faint shout within the forest was heard, "Nine! Nine! Where are you?"

The boy shook his head, letting a short chuckle loose. "You don't know what it's like." Tenley wasn't sure if the kid heard the shouting or if he was ignoring them.

"What what's like?" she questioned. She heard the call once more. She knew that Flynn was near.

"You got out!" he replied loudly. "You managed to fight back."

"You can't fight back?" Tenley asked. She motioned to the dead man behind her. "Seems like you've fought back just now. Why stop? Who are you working for?"

"They'll kill me," he replied. He aimed the gun back at her. "Unless I kill you instead."

Tenley's hands were raised in front of her once more. "You don't want to do that." She asked, "What's your name? Who's Bloodstone?" She knew that she had to buy more time for Flynn to find her. His voice was getting slightly louder with each cry she was hearing. She just hoped he wouldn't be too late.

"Screw you, that's my name," the kid spat. "And why would I tell you who Bloodstone is?" She realized at that moment that she had lost him. She wondered if this was what Obi-Wan felt like when he knew that Anakin was lost to him.

"Please," she tried again. "You could come with me...leave all of this behind." The shouts had stopped. Maybe he had gone the wrong direction and if that was the case, she was as good as dead.

The kid gave her a morose smile. "I'm sorry, Lucy..."

Tenley's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Wait-what?"

Before she had a chance to ask him what he meant, why he was calling her Lucy, another gunshot echoed throughout the frozen forest. Tenley watched as the boy's eyes blinked a couple of times, then she watched as all life slowly faded from within just before he collapsed at her feet in the snow.

Tenley's eyes held the boy's body. She had forced herself to look up to see who had killed the boy and standing a few yards away was Flynn. Just running over the hill behind him was Lucy, Rufus, and Jacob.

Her knees buckled underneath her. She knelt in the snow, and took the opportunity to check the kid out. He was dead. Flynn had managed a perfect shot through the heart. Tenley slumped back, almost defeated by what had transpired.

Flynn knelt down on the opposite side of the boy. He made sure the boy was dead, even though he knew that Tenley would be trying to revive him if he wasn't. His eyes studied Tenley as she seemed mentally checked out. He noticed the bruises, the cuts on her face, even her disheveled appearance. What he hadn't noticed was the cut on her chest. He held his gaze with her eyes. "Are you okay?"

It took her a moment for the words to reach her. She finally blinked back to the present and looked over at him. He saw that her brown eyes were suddenly a golden amber as it reflected the setting sun. Traces of sadness filled her eyes in the form of tears. She nodded, careful not to blink for fear of the tears escaping.

The two of them stood up and rejoined the group.

The team had gotten to the edge of the woods where the Lifeboat was safely hidden away from anyone's vision. They climbed down off the horses that Jacob had allowed them the use of. They passed their reins over to Jacob as he sat on top of his steed. He asked, "What are you going to do now?"

"We have to track down those men," Flynn announced. "They won't go away until we stop every last one of them." Jacob nodded in understanding.

Lucy looked up at him. "What are you going to do? I mean, everything's different now." She had meant that history had changed, but he took it in a different sentiment than she had intended.

"Well, now that the hotel belongs to me, I think I'll start there," Jacob replied. "Open it up again. Make it a home away from home...earn a better living for my family." Lucy smiled at him. They had discovered that the murdered hoteliers had left the hotel to Jacob for all of his hard work over the years. It was probably the best gift that a man of his history could ever hope to gain.

Jacob watched Tenley for a moment before he called out to her. "Thank you, doc!" When her eyes lifted to meet his, he added, "Thank you for looking out for my family. You're an angel."

Tenley forced a smile. She didn't believe his words. She knew that she wasn't an angel - she certainly didn't feel like one, and based on how she was feeling, probably didn't look like much of one either.

She looked down at her feet, but noticed that her hands were still caked in blood from the birth. She was ready to go home and clean up.

Jacob nodded his thanks to the team before turning all the horses and setting off for home.

The team entered the small wood in silence. None of them had wanted to speak, not after what had transpired moments before. There were plenty of questions looming overheard, this they all knew. No one wanted to be the one to break that silence and force others to speak about it. They'd wait for Agent Christopher to do that for them.


	14. Dilemma

**Present Day**

Agent Christopher was stunned, to say the least, to see the team when they emerged from the Lifeboat. Her eyes were glued on the young doctor. She hadn't meant for the girl's first trip to result in something so severe. It seemed like a simple mission where they had to make sure that a baby would make it...and yet, based on how the poor kid looked, it didn't go as simply as planned.

She had tried to talk to the doctor about what happened, but the kid said nothing. It was almost like she was in shock because nothing anyone had said was registering. Agent Christopher stood back and watched as the doctor walked silently, staring at her feet, down the corridor towards her room.

Wyatt had passed her in the hall on his way to the common living area and turned his attention to Christopher. "What the hell happened to her?"

Denise turned to the team that were still standing there. "That's what I'd like to know."

Rufus glanced between the two of them. "It's not like it was a team hazing thing..." He could feel the tension in the room and was trying hard to lighten the mood, but the mood was too dark. He stopped trying.

The three had explained to Agent Christopher what they had discovered when they arrived back in time. Lucy had removed the 'Wanted' poster from her pocket to show them. Wyatt, as the others suspected, took offense just as Rufus had, that his image didn't look anything like him.

"Let's stay on track," Denise redirected. "What does this poster have to do with what happened?"

The team began to explain what they discovered in regards to the meaning of the poster. It led them to a group that called themselves 'Bloodstone', and they were the ones who took Tenley.

"So, did you find out anything on this group?" Denise asked. "What does Rittenhouse and this Bloodstone group have in common?"

"Aside from being psychotic and they can't draw?" Rufus suggested. "Not much." Agent Christopher rolled her dark eyes at the man.

Lucy asked, "Do you think you might find anything in your files through Homeland Security? Maybe now that we know who to look for, we might find something through them?"

Agent Christopher tilted her head slightly. "It's worth a try. I'll look into it and let you know." She glanced between the three that stood before her. "Get cleaned up...and get some rest."

The three nodded, grateful for the chance to wash away the mission from their bodies.

Tenley stood in front of the sink in the bathroom. After wiping off the condensation that gathered on the mirror from her hot shower, she stared at her reflection.

She had managed to wash away the blood, dirt, and grime that had collected on her body. She had scrubbed so hard that her usually pale skin was marred with splotchy red patches. The bruises had darkened on her face, which made her look like a victim of domestic violence. She was suddenly thankful that she didn't work in the real world anymore because she'd be faced with numerous questions and possibly a police interview regarding her battered appearance.

She had healing cuts on her face, one on the lower corner of her mouth and one on the edge of her brow. The cuts were superficial, even though they were healing, they still stung, but it wasn't the cuts that concerned her. A few inches below her collarbone on her left side was a three inch wide gash that she had gotten when the Bloodstone man held a knife to her.

Images flashed before her eyes of the encounter. She remembered the boy aiming his gun in her direction, the feel of the cold steel knife against her skin. The gunshot echoed in the dark recesses of her mind. She suddenly remembered the feeling of the blade slicing through her skin like butter.

She opened her eyes again, looking at herself once more in the mirror. The freshly washed cut was seeping blood. She sighed a shaky breath and turned the sink before her on. She wet a washcloth down with the cool water and began to clean up the wound. With another washcloth at the ready, she started to dab the wound dry.

She heard noise coming from the door to the bathroom. She had followed protocol and placed the chair in front of the door. She paused in her tracks, unsure if she would have a chance to dress her wound before someone barged in.

"Is anyone in there?" a familiar voice on the other end asked.

"I'll be out in a minute," she shouted back. She shook her head and began picking up her things. She didn't have the chance to dress her wound after all. She threw on an old t-shirt and gathered her things, holding them closely to her chest, just in case she bled through her shirt. She didn't want to talk about it.

She kicked the chair away from the door and opened it. Rufus had turned to see her. He was about ready to ask her a question, but she quickly said, "It's all yours."

Tenley rushed back into the safety of her room. Once she was inside, she closed the door, releasing a breath that she didn't realize that she was holding. She rested her forehead on the door, lowering her things from her chest.

She turned and dumped her things onto the sofa and padded across the room to the supply cabinet. She began removing the items that she needed to use on her wound. Once she had them all set up on the tray, she promptly removed her shirt. Blood stained the left side where it the wound had oozed out. She tossed the shirt into the waste basket and retrieved a camisole so that it wouldn't rub up against the wound and become ruined like her t-shirt had been.

Once she changed, she glanced about, looking for something to use as a mirror. She couldn't believe that she didn't have one in the infirmary. She decided that the one thing she could use in lieu of one was the tray. It wouldn't be a clear image, but it would do the trick until she could slip back into the bathroom later to do the job right.

She propped the tray up against the wall underneath the medicine cabinets. She had to angle it just right to get a semi-decent view of her wound. Tenley was frustrated to see that even then, she couldn't make out much. She would be doing this blind. She wished that Rufus had just waited a little longer before trying to gain access to the bathroom.

As she tried to move forward in cleaning her wound again, a voice to her right by her door spoke, "I should probably tell you that you are not alone." Her eyes darted over to meet the familiar intense gaze of Garcia Flynn. When his brooding eyes fell upon her wound, his brow furrowed. He crossed the room in three short steps. "What happened?"

She looked stunned by his appearance. "Uh..."

He pointed to her wound. "I'm assuming you didn't get that shaving."

She lowered her head, trying to break the hold his eyes had over her. She shook her head. "Bloodstone-"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," he quickly interjected. He didn't want her to delve into the details if she was still under shock and stress. After a brief moment, he asked, "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"What would you have done?" she asked, lifting her eyes up to meet his. "The man responsible was already dead."

"We could have-" he started.

"What? You could have what?' she asked with a sharp tone. "Dressed it in the field? With what? Snow?" She shook her head, smirking slightly. The smirk fell from her face and she asked, "Is it always like this?"

"What's that?" he asked, unsure of where she was going.

The doctor shifted in her place. "Traveling through time. Is it always like that?" He shook his head and she asked sarcastically, "So, it's just my luck then? Wonderful..."

He sighed. "I'm sorry that I didn't figure it out sooner."

Her head whipped up, meeting his gaze. His eyes were almost filled with regret. She narrowed her brown eyes at him. "Didn't figure what out sooner?"

"Where they were," he explained. "It wasn't until I was searching the hotel that I realized that they weren't in town, but watching us the whole time." He saw the confusion slowly lift from her mind, but he stated the rest to squash any confusion remaining. "They separated us on purpose. I just didn't see it until it was too late."

"How did you find me?" she asked.

He replied, "When we got back to the cabin, Rufus had explained what had happened. He told us about the four suited men we saw in town when we arrived, how they took you and left towards the woods. He figured that they thought he belonged to the family."

She nodded. "I had the same thought."  
Flynn returned the nod. "We tracked them through the woods until the prints split up. I heard the gunshot and knew we were close."

"I heard you calling out for me," she admitted. "Then you got quiet and I thought you had gone the wrong way."

He shook his head. "No...I couldn't give our position away. I didn't know what I'd find on the other side of that hill." He studied her face, speaking softly, "I'm sorry, Tenley, that your first experience was like this."

She gave him a half smile. She appreciated his words, but she wasn't sure what to do moving forward. She had some serious thinking to do. She released a heavy sigh. "I'm sure this will make matters worse, but I don't think they meant to take me either."

Flynn looked confused. "What does that mean?"

She thought over what the kid had said when he spoke to her before Flynn killed him. She stated, "He called me Lucy."

Flynn's face fell. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

She shrugged. "I don't know...I didn't know what it meant."

Flynn looked frustrated. "What else did he say?"

Tenley blinked at the question. "I don't remember...I just know that the way they spoke to me, it made me think that they thought that I was Lucy...then the kid called me by her name and...I don't know...I just..."

He ran a hand through his dark hair. "Let's get you patched up and we'll go tell Agent Christopher."

Flynn felt guilty in talking so gruffly with Tenley, especially after everything she had been through on the mission. She had zero experience with Rittenhouse, and suddenly, she's being thrown into a mess that was three times as bad. She had been kidnapped on her first mission - a mission that was supposed to be a simple babysitting job, yet...He knew that he'd have to apologize to her later, but right now, he was focused on getting her patched so he could warn Lucy about the ominous threat.

Tenley suddenly felt uncomfortable in his presence. She began to grasp that there was more to his relationship with Lucy than she had realized. She had originally believed them to just be friends, but his protectiveness seemed more than just that of friends.

Flynn kept true to his offer to help her care for her wound. He listened to her instructions on how to clean the wound, disinfect it, and then bandage it up. For Flynn, being close to her as he patched her up, had reminded him of the spark and feeling he felt when he touched her skin. If he hadn't had the Lucy situation on his mind, he would have slowed down with his task to get to know her better, but now wasn't the time.

When he finished placing the clean bandage over her wound, he washed his hands and turned to face her. She had already turned her back to him and started to clean up the mess that was made from his work.

He paused, wondering if he should say something to her, but decided against it. He left the infirmary without saying another word.

Tenley heard him leave. She shook her head, feeling frustrated all around. She sighed, realizing that she should probably go with him, but ultimately decided that if Agent Christopher wanted to talk to her, she knew where to find the doctor.

Agent Christopher stood by the computers while Rufus, Jiya, and Mason were running simulations. She was trying to understand some of the mechanics of the Lifeboat and Mothership. She always had a slight interest in engineering, but never followed through with it. She shelved it so she could pursue what she was doing now. She never regretted doing so, but she sometimes wished that she had dabbled in it, even slightly.

She was about to ask a question when a voice behind them announced, "I was just told some valuable information."

The group around the consoles turned to see Flynn approaching. He stopped short of the steps leading up to the computers. Denise asked, "What are you talking about? Information about what?"

Flynn placed one hand on the railing that led up to them, and the other on his hip. "Tenley just told me that the people who took her from the Bailey cabin thought she was Lucy."

"Lucy?" Christopher repeated, eyebrows furrowed. "What would they want with Lucy?"

"If you recall," he started. "Emma was making threats against Lucy when we went back to World War I."

Denise still wasn't following. "You think that this is a part of that threat?"

Flynn gave her a disbelieving glance. "I think that we've underestimated the woman before and we shouldn't do it again."

Christopher nodded, remembering all of the times that Emma had proven to be the bane of their existence. "What do they want with Lucy?"

"Aside from her hatred of her?" Rufus muttered.

"Have you looked into who this Bloodstone group is?" Flynn questioned, standing up straight.

"I have people working on it," Christopher admitted. "Nothing's come up yet."

"What if Bloodstone is the contacts that Emma told you guys about?" Jiya mused. "I mean, we hadn't heard of them until she talked about them, then suddenly, you're seeing them pop up?"

Flynn hadn't admitted that he had thought of that, but didn't want to say anything until he had definitive proof. Now that Jiya had brought it up, it opened the door to admit that he had similar thoughts. He nodded to show his agreement.

Rufus's eyes widened. "You're telling me that these Bloodstone people were addicted to opium in our original timeline and we freed them of that addiction?"

Agent Christopher shook her head slightly. "It sort of fits the timeline of everything," she muttered. Looking up at the group, she said, "Okay. I'll let Lucy and Wyatt know. I'll start digging a little deeper into the Bloodstone thing...hopefully we'll find something soon." She descended the steps. She added, "We need to come up with a better plan on how to handle this. If Lucy is the primary target, we need to know how to keep her from them." She thought for a moment before saying the one thing she didn't want to suggest, but it seemed to be the only option. "Even if that means she stays here on every mission..."

"She won't be happy to hear that plan," Rufus pointed out.

Denise nodded solemnly. "I know."


	15. Tension In The Air

Later that evening, Jiya knocked on the infirmary door. She waited and eventually heard a mumble from within telling her to come inside. She opened the door and crossed the threshold, closing the door behind her. Her dark eyes scanned the room, until they fell upon Tenley who was wrapped up in a blanket on the sofa. Jiya slowly approached the cocooned doctor. "Hey."

Tenley struggled to sit up. "Hey back."

Jiya wanted to ask her about her mission, but she opted against it. She knew what the doctor was going through and it was hard to cope with it. Everyone handled it differently, and Jiya knew that if their roles were reversed, she probably would be doing exactly as Tenley was now; wrapped up in a cozy blanket, hiding from the world as best as you could. Throw in some sad music and maybe a book or movie, and that was Jiya.

"So," Jiya started. "It's game night tonight."

"I'm not going," Tenley muttered.

Jiya nodded. "Okay..."

Tenley motioned to the side of the sofa that was closest to the door. "The games are stacked over there. Help yourself."

Jiya sat down next to Tenley on the sofa. "Would you join us for just one game?" Tenley shook her head. "Not even to team up against Rufus and Wyatt in Last Night on Earth?"

The thought of teaming up with Jiya as zombies to take down the guys had been a tempting thought, but Tenley was just feeling miserable and guilty for how the whole mission went down, not to mention the conversation with Flynn that steamrolled into something uncomfortable for her. She wasn't feeling like part of the group. Tenley knew that she was most likely overreacting to this, but it took her by surprise and brought up old feelings and reopened some of her old wounds from her past. All of this, she couldn't talk to anyone here about.

Jiya sighed, standing up from the sofa. "Well, just think about it. If you decide that you'd be up for zombifying the boys, let me know." She picked up a massive stack of games, adding, "We'll play that game last."

Tenley watched as Jiya sat the stack of games down on the end table, opened the door, and struggled to leave with them. Tenley saw the door was still open, but didn't care enough to go close it.

In the main living area, Jiya set the games down on the table. Rufus and Wyatt began separating the games and discussing which they would play first. Lucy approached Jiya and asked, "How is she? Is she coming?"

Jiya shook her head. "No...she seems pretty upset."

"Maybe I should talk to her," Lucy offered.

Jiya shook her head again. "I really don't think that's a good idea."

Lucy tilted her head in confusion. "Why not? I think talking about it could help-"

Jiya interrupted her. "She's feeling guilty about how everything went down. I think she just needs some time to process all of this." She crossed her arms and added, "I mean, she was thrown into this without any understanding or warning of what to expect."

Lucy nodded, understanding completely what the doctor was going through. She didn't know what she would say to her even if she had gone to talk to Tenley. Lucy just wanted to help her, much like Tenley had helped her shortly after she showed up at the bunker.

What the girls didn't know, was while they were talking, Flynn had overheard their conversation. He didn't act on hearing them discuss whether or not to seek Tenley out to talk some sense into her, but instead, made a mental note to do so later. He felt responsible for how the good doctor was feeling. He had been short with her and quite abrupt in handling the information she shared regarding Lucy. He could only imagine how the doctor must be feeling.

Wyatt and Rufus had finally agree to a game to start with. They had picked Ingenious. It was something light, fun, and easy to play while eating. No one complained. Jokes had been made that at least no one would be able to argue about the rules and who came in last place, much like the last time they played games.

Agent Christopher had gathered her things and spied the group playing games. She smiled, happy to see them getting along. Her smile faltered slightly when she didn't see the doctor in the group around the table. She glanced at her watch. She was already running late for the dinner that Michelle had told her to be on time for. If she wasn't running late, she would have marched herself into the infirmary to have a heart to heart conversation with Tenley, but it would have to wait until morning.

Agent Christopher took her leave of the bunker quietly. The rest of the team, except for Tenley, began their tradition of playing games. Laughter filled the bunker.

The laughter had echoed slowly down the corridors. Tenley could hear everything that was happening in the main living area. It sounded like everyone was having a good time. If she wasn't sulking, she would have joined in. Instead, she had finally had enough of hearing them play games that she stood up and closed her door. She padded back across the room and wrapped herself back up in her blanket, covering her head in the process to try and drown them out.

Morning had arrived and silence filled the bunker. No alarms, no conversation, no laughter. The silence was deafening.

Tenley had woken early and got in an hour of meditation. She was trying to shake the feelings from the day before away. Once she finished with her meditation, she dressed for the day. She redressed her bandage on her chest. It hurt, but it was beginning to clot nicely; the seeping was minimal now. She'd have a scar, but that was the least of her concerns. Her face was yellowing and the cuts on her face had started scabbing over.

Even after spending close to two hours that morning on herself, it was still deadly quiet within the confines of the bunker. She emerged from her room for the first time in almost twelve hours and headed to the main living area. She didn't pass a single soul on her walk there.

When she arrived to the living area, she stopped dead in her tracks. The games were still splayed all over the table, pieces carelessly dropped onto the floor. All of them were disheveled about the table and floor nearby. Tenley had to close her eyes and count to five before forcing herself passed the mess and to the coffee pot. She didn't want to lose her reserved Zen first thing in the morning because of that.

Scrounging about the cabinets of the kitchenette, she finally found the ground coffee, filters, and the scoop for the grounds. She dropped nine whole scoops of ground coffee into the filter that was already in it's holder. While she was scooping the grounds, she was already filling the carafe with water. Once all of the components for the coffee had been assembled, she put them all together at the machine and turned it on. She could hear the machine come to life, gurgling the fresh water before it steamed itself through the filter that held the grounds. A warming and lovely coffee scent filled her nostrils and she could feel her soul beginning to wake at the thought of a fresh cup of coffee.

In the meantime, while she waited for the coffee to finish brewing, she grabbed a mug and set it down next to the machine. It wasn't long before the sound of the water flowing had slowed to a stop. She carefully peeked under the filter cup and saw the last few drops dripping down.

 _That's enough of that,_ she thought, removing the very full and very hot carafe out from under the filter. She poured the rich caramel colored drink into her mug, steam billowing off the top. She replaced the carafe and turned around. She sighed heavily when her eyes fell upon the mess once more. She shook her head, took a careful sip, and approached the disaster zone that was left from last night's activities.

Tenley began cleaning up the games on the floor. She set each game that was borrow out, searching the contents to make sure all the pieces were returned. She found some pieces didn't belong with some of the games it was tossed into. She was very particular when it came to taking care of her games. She was the same way with her books. If she allowed someone to borrow an item, she expected them to take care of them with respect. It got under her skin a bit when that wasn't the case.

She was so focused on cleaning up the mess and making sure the pieces all belonged with the boxes they were tossed into, that she hadn't noticed that she was no longer alone in the main living area.

"Something smells amazing," a familiar voice spoke behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder to see Lucy standing in her pajamas and house coat, smiling at her. Tenley stated, "I made coffee. Help yourself."

Lucy's smile had widened as she sauntered over to the coffee pot. She poured herself a cup and took a sip. "Oh my," she sighed. "This is good."

Tenley turned back to her task. "Thanks," she muttered.

Lucy took another sip. "Seriously," she started. "This is better than Wyatt's." Tenley raised an eyebrow as she lifted her head to meet Lucy's gaze. Lucy giggled. "Okay, everyone makes better coffee than Wyatt." She laughed. When she watched Tenley continue to clean up the mess, she set her mug down. "Let me help you."

"It's okay," Tenley began.

"No," Lucy rebutted. "We shouldn't have left it like this." Lucy joined Tenley on the floor, picking up pieces and setting them into a pile for Tenley to sort through. "You missed a good night, though."

"Oh?" Tenley asked, almost in passing. She was focused on separating the pieces, hoping that she wasn't about to get a lecture about her absence the night before.

Lucy stopped cleaning for a moment. "I'm sorry about your first trip. I never would have suggested that you go if I had-"

"You wouldn't have known," Tenley replied, willing herself to keep from making eye contact. "Besides, I'm the one who should be apologizing to you."

Lucy furrowed her brow in confusion. "Why should you apologize?"

Tenley looked over her shoulder at the woman. She couldn't tell if she was just being aloof or if Flynn hadn't said anything to her. She blinked at her. "B-because of what I told Flynn..."

"What'd you tell Flynn?" Lucy questioned.

Tenley swallowed hard, unsure if she was about to make the situation worse by telling her, but she remembered what she had been telling everyone else when it involved Lucy; tell her the truth and everything will work out in the end. "The people who did this to me," she said, pointing to her face and chest, "I think they thought I was you."

Lucy listened carefully as Tenley explained her thoughts. Aside from the kid flat out calling her by Lucy's name, everything else was speculative. Lucy nodded when the doctor finished her tale. "Do you know what happened after you told Flynn?"

Tenley shook her head. "No. I didn't talk to anyone, until you this morning."

Lucy offered a smile. "I appreciate you telling me," she admitted. "But that's no reason to hole yourself up in the infirmary all night." She stood up from the floor and added, "Next time, you should really join us for the games. You missed out on a good one."

Tenley stood up, leaving the games on the floor to start clearing the table off. "So you mentioned."

Lucy topped off her coffee and said, "I'm going to take a shower. I'll see you."

Tenley watched as Lucy walked down the hall, sipping on the coffee she made. She turned her attention back to the mess on the table. She managed to clean it all up and gather all the games before she saw another person emerge.

It wasn't until she was walking down the hall that she bumped into Jiya. "Oh!" she gasped. "Here, let me take some of these for you."

Tenley watched as Jiya took half the stack. "Thanks."

"I'm sorry," she began. "I meant to clean all of this up before you got up this morning-"

"It's not a big deal," Tenley lied. In fact, in her world, it was a big deal, but she also knew that she was pretty anal-retentive when it came to her things, so she let it go.

Jiya shook her head. "I'll make it up to you," she said, turning into the infirmary behind Tenley. "I promise." Tenley didn't reply. After a moment of silence, Jiya spoke, "You missed out on a fun night."

"So I hear," Tenley admitted, taking the games from Jiya. She placed them with the others on the floor by the sofa.

Jiya shifted in her place, putting her hands into her pockets. "You're not alone, you know." Tenley met her concerned gaze. "You have friends here..." Her voice drifted for a moment and said, "Okay, you have me. You could have talked to me about whatever you were going through."

Tenley glanced down at her shoes. "Yeah, I know." She looked back up, nodding. "Thanks."

Jiya asked, "So...what did you do all night?"

The two laughed, breaking the uncomfortable conversation. Tenley shook her head. "I'm sorry that I wallowed."

"You're allowed to wallow," Jiya stated. "Just not alone." She smiled again. "Not without a cheesy chick flick, popcorn, and ice cream."

Tenley smirked. "I didn't go through a breakup!" She laughed and added, "Regardless of what my face is telling you, there was no breakup."

Jiya and Tenley shared a laugh. A knock landed on the door, and the two turned to face the newcomer. It was Agent Christopher.

"Do you have a minute?" Denise asked.

Tenley shook her head. "As long as you're not here to lecture me about my wallowing last night, then yes." Agent Christopher cocked her head, glancing between the two girls before her. Tenley stated, "I've already gotten the lecture from both Lucy and Jiya. I think I've had about all I can handle."

Agent Christopher smiled. "Glad to hear it." She motioned to Tenley's chest. "How's the wound?"

"Fine," the doctor stated. "Thanks for asking." Just as Agent Christopher was about to leave, Tenley asked, "What are you going to do about the whole..." She looked at Jiya and then back to Christopher. "The whole Lucy thing?"

Denise sighed. "That's something we all need to discuss as a group. I was about to gather everyone to talk it over." She started out of the infirmary, adding, "Head to the main area. I'll be there as soon as I can."

The team had gathered in the main living area. Tenley and Jiya stood in the kitchenette area, leaning up against the counter behind the group. Rufus, Wyatt, and Lucy had sat down in the chairs around the table, Mason sat on the arm of the sofa, and Flynn stood, arms crossed as he waited to hear what Agent Christopher had to say; he knew what was coming.

Denise began, "As most of you already know, there's been threats made against Lucy." Everyone glanced quickly at the historian, but stayed focused on Denise as she continued, "Now, we have people looking into Bloodstone. We haven't had much success yet, but we're just scratching the surface." She shifted in place, sighing before forcing herself to deliver the bad news. "I think it is for the best if Lucy stays behind on the missions until we figure out who is behind all of this."

Lucy immediately rejected the idea. "No!" Before anyone could retort, Lucy had continued, "How is that helping anyone if I'm not there? I'm the one who has to be there, right?"

Rufus muttered, "Pretty sure that's me..."

Lucy added, "This is my job. This is who I am! I have to be there. It's not like anyone else is a historian."

Agent Christopher nodded. "I understand that you're upset-"

"Upset doesn't even begin to cover the array of emotions for me right now," Lucy replied. Everyone could see the frustration on her face and in the tone of her voice. No one could blame her.

Christopher stated, "They almost killed Tenley thinking she was you." Lucy looked down at her feet. She wanted to counter the remark, but didn't want to throw Tenley under the bus. For the moment, she stayed silent so Denise could finish her thoughts. Denise said, "I know this is hard for you, for everyone. But...for the time being, maybe this is better."

"How do you figure?" Wyatt countered. Lucy's eyes met his and a glimmer of hope sparkled in her eyes. He questioned, "Have you thought about the fact that maybe this is what Rittenhouse wants all along? Keep her away from the action so that the team that goes is powerless in knowing what to expect? Or it separates her from those who could protect her?"

"The expectation would be that she would educate you before you left-" Denise began but was interrupted.

Flynn chimed in this time. "Assuming that history hasn't been changed already before we arrive."

"What do you mean?" Christopher asked, truly interested in what he had to say.

Flynn pointed out, "History had already been altered when we went to Jamestown. Smith had said that the sleepers had been with them years before they set sail for the New World. We didn't know that before going."

Denise took what was being said seriously. She tried to come up with a counter argument, but was failing.

Lucy suggested, "Maybe I stick with the team, no matter what. I never leave their side."

"Isn't that what you're supposed to be doing as it is?" Denise questioned. "Look, I need some more time to think over all of this, but for now..." Lucy shook her head, frustrated that this was happening. Denise finished her thoughts, "Lucy needs to stay here until we can get this sorted out."  
Lucy spat, "This is a mistake." With that, she stormed away from the group.

After people began to walk away, Denise and Tenley were left. Tenley offered a sympathetic smile. She said, "If it helps any, I think it's the right call to a point."

"Meaning?" Christopher asked.

Tenley shrugged. "I think that it depends on the mission...and we won't know until the team is there."

"I'm just trying to do what is best for everyone," Denise explained.

Tenley nodded. "I know you are, but you did seek her out to do this job, no matter the ramifications, right? Just like you hired me to patch the team up but left out the fact that I'd be going with them through time and space."

Denise nodded, taking in what the doctor was saying. "You're right about that."

"Look," Tenley began. "Maybe keeping her here is what Rittenhouse wants, like Wyatt said. Who's to say that they don't know where we are and are looking for an opportunity to kill her here when most of the team is out?"

"You're giving me a lot to think about," Denise pointed out. Tenley smiled. "That's not a good thing, kid."

"I know," Tenley said with a smile. "Glad to not be of help for once."

Before Tenley could leave, Denise asked, "If you were me, what would you do?"

Tenley thought for a moment before shrugging. "I don't know. She was with Flynn when I was taken, for what it's worth. It won't be long before Rittenhouse and Bloodstone both are made aware of the mistake that was made and it won't be made again." She shook her head. "I don't know what to suggest, but keeping her under lock and key might just make things and life living here unbearable."

"Like having teenagers," Denise laughed. Tenley smiled. "Thanks doc." Tenley nodded, turned, and left. Denise sighed, thinking over what she had just done and if it was the right decision or not. She was more confused now than ever. There were too many 'what ifs' in place with this and she'd never had to make these kinds of decisions before. She didn't like to either.

One thing that was said stuck with Agent Christopher; Bloodstone and Rittenhouse had made the error of thinking that Tenley was Lucy. Maybe the confusion in their ranks would buy them more time to allow Lucy to go on missions until the mistake was rectified. Of course, that meant the one time Lucy went and they did figure out who she was, there was no saying how safe the woman would be.

Denise began to think about how it would impact her if she were the target. How would she feel if Homeland Security suddenly told her that she had to lay low, unable to do her job that they hired her to do. Tenley had a point in saying that this was, in fact, what Lucy was brought on the team to do. There had been threats made against Lucy before, none of which had succeeded - mainly because of Carol Preston. Maybe she was overreacting to all of this.

Her head began to pound due to all of the stress. She grabbed her coffee travel mug and sat down by the computers to try and relax. She still had some thinking to do, but first, she had to find some inner Zen before she could continue.

Lucy paced inside her room. Her fists were balled on either side of her, her breathing was unsteady, but she was trying to calm down. "She's making a mistake!" she shouted over her left shoulder to Wyatt, who sat uncomfortably on the cot nearest the door. "I shouldn't be taken off missions because of some threats! They wouldn't do that to you!"

Wyatt's blue eyes widened slightly, but quickly relaxed again as he listened. He shrugged. "Can you blame her for being worried, though?"

"This isn't worry," Lucy said, whirling around to address him face to face. "This isn't because of my well-being-"

"How do you figure?" he questioned. When she opened her mouth to speak, he quickly added, "She's following protocol, that's it."

"Really?" she countered. "Then why me? Why just me? Why stop there? Why not keep all of us here?"

Wyatt chuckled. "You're overreacting, Lucy. Just take a breath."

Lucy took a deep breath in and slowly let it go, closing her eyes as she tried to calm down. Wyatt couldn't blame her for being angry, but he knew that unless she calmed down, he wouldn't be able to have an adult conversation with her. She padded over to her cot and sat down across from him. He eyed her, raising an eyebrow in question. She smiled warmly at him. "I'm fine, thanks."

He nodded and began to speak. "I understand your frustration, I do. I think it's a mistake for you to be left behind on the missions. I think, honestly, that she's truly worried about your safety and she's doing the only thing she can think of to keep you safe."

Lucy's head lowered in defeat. "I know. I just don't like it."

"None of us do," he replied softly. He leaned over, placing a hand on her knee. "I'll see what I can do to get her to reconsider."

Lucy's eyes traveled from his hand on her knee up to his blue eyes which held her gaze for a moment. She smiled at him. In barely a whisper, she said, "Thank you, Wyatt."

He didn't say anything, but held the connection a moment longer before finally sitting back, letting his hand fall from her knee. He asked, "So, what do we do now?"

Tenley stood before the sink in the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. She carefully began to peel back the bandage on her chest. The glue on the bandage pulled at her skin uncomfortably. She hated bandages for this reason. Once it was removed, she leaned closer towards the mirror to get a better look at it.

The wound was healing nicely, no signs of infection, but it still seeped where it hadn't fully scabbed over. She knew it was because the cut was deeper there and it would take a few more days before it finally stopped bleeding.

Just as she started to wet down a clean cloth to wipe the area down, the door to the bathroom had opened. She had forgotten to put a chair up against the door like they were supposed to do.

Her head whipped over to see Flynn standing there, hand still on the handle of the heavy metal door. They stared at each other for a moment before she said, "I'll be done in a minute."

Flynn meandered over to her, leaning into one of the sinks next to her, arms crossed. "How's the cut?"

She lifted her eyes to meet his gaze again. "It's fine, thanks."

He tilted his head slightly to get a better view of the wound. She watched as his eyes studied her wound. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. She felt vulnerable and awkward under his intense stare. "Do you need any help?" he offered.

She pulled her gaze away from him and back to the mirror. "I think I can manage, thanks though."

He watched as she leaned awkwardly over the sink to get a better view of the mirror. He stood up straight, arms uncrossing as he reached for her shoulders, turning her slightly. "Let me help you." She stood before him as he took control of the situation. He carefully dabbed at the wound before reaching for the new dressing.

To break the silence that was making her uncomfortable, Tenley asked, "What do you think about Agent Christopher's plan to keep Lucy back?"

Flynn didn't blink. "I think it's ridiculous."

"Really?" Tenley asked surprised. "I thought you'd be on board with it."

He stopped opening the new bandage to look at her. He studied her face for a moment before replying, "She's a valuable member of the team. We need her on the missions."

"She wasn't on the mission when you went back to help Dorothy Lawrence-" she had started to say.

He cut her off. "That was an exception to the case. Usually, no matter where we go, she comes with us." He started to dress the wound on Tenley's chest. "If we have any hope in succeeding with our goal to stop Rittenhouse for good, to change history and save those we love, she has to be there."

Tenley thought about what she was told by Denise when they were driving to the bunker for the first time, after she was picked up and recruited regarding how this whole thing started. She recalled Denise mentioning that Flynn had discovered Rittenhouse and all of their evil deeds and they murdered his wife and daughter to try and silence him.

She felt his hands carefully securing the bandage on her chest. She whispered, feeling tears forming behind her eyes, "I'm sorry for what happened to you..."

His hands froze and his eyes raised up to meet hers. He could see the tears rising in her eyes that she was trying so hard to keep from falling. It was the first time that someone, unsolicited, had apologized for what happened, but he was firm in his feelings on the matter and said to her what he said to the others. "I don't want your pity."

"It's not pity-" she started to say. For her, it wasn't. Far from it.

He didn't want to hear any more. His hands lowered from her chest. "You're good to go."

She blinked and tears cascaded down her cheeks in big drops. She sighed, turned away from him to grab her things, and brushed passed him, exiting the bathroom, slamming the door behind her as she left.

Flynn ran his hand through his hair, feeling somewhat ashamed for reacting the way that he did. She didn't mean it the way others had said it before. He knew that he had opened the door to having her say that comment to begin with when he mentioned saving loved ones, so he knew he had brought it on himself. Still, the pangs of his old life haunted him.

He wouldn't have time to dwell on any of this for long because the alarms blared throughout the bunker, announcing to all that the Mothership had jumped once again. He quickly finished his business and left to join the others in the central living area.


	16. On Our Way

"The Mothership is just outside Wangen; March 31, 1922," Jiya announced as the information appeared on the screen.

Lucy stood nearby, arms crossed over her chest. Her body language still told everyone how upset she was that she was being benched on missions, but inside her head, she was mentally scrolling through her memory banks to come up with an answer for this. Historically, she was drawing a blank, but she kept digging. Everyone patiently waited for her to come up with the answer. It wasn't much longer that the anger on her face melted away as the light bulb within flipped on.

"What's the significance here?" Christopher questioned.

Lucy shook her head slightly. "I'm not sure if this is it, but the only thing that I can think of isn't really anything of great historical relevance..."

"What does that mean?" Denise asked, turning to face the historian to give her all of her attention.

Lucy uncrossed her arms and said, "There was a family living on a homestead near there that were all brutally murdered."

"Someone important to Rittenhouse or Bloodstone, perhaps?" Christopher asked.

Lucy shook her head. "I don't think so... I mean, it was a widow, her parents, her kids, and the maid."

"Kids?" Flynn muttered under his breath. Images of Iris flashed before his eyes. Thankfully for him, no one heard him. He shifted in his place, realizing that he wouldn't be free of his haunted past just yet. Instead, Rittenhouse had a way of hitting him when he was down.

Lucy said, "This is the only thing that happens in history in this area. And the murders take place on this night."

"Then you better hurry," Denise warned Lucy. "Flynn and Wyatt will go with you."

Lucy's face brightened. "You mean-"

"Yes," Denise replied, cutting her short. "I'm hoping that I'm not going to regret taking back my earlier remarks on you sitting out, but know this; if you come into any danger when you're on this mission, I may have to pull you."

"You won't have to," Lucy offered. She smiled wide, happy to be back to doing what she wanted. She started towards the Lifeboat and stopped briefly to whisper, "Thank you." Denise nodded and Lucy continued into the Lifeboat behind Rufus. Flynn and Wyatt climbed in shortly after.

The hatch to the Lifeboat closed and latched. The mechanics on the outside began to whirl, the air in the room began to move, and then the Lifeboat sucked itself back in time, leaving the others staring at the void.

Just as Agent Christopher began to head to the common living area with her mug from home, Tenley walked in step with her. Denise looked at the doctor and knew immediately what she was thinking. "Don't say it."

"What?" Tenley feigned. "I don't know what you're talking about." She smiled at the woman.

They reached the coffee machine and Denise filled her mug. "I thought about what you said," she admitted. "I figured that you were on to something and we'd see how it went... a trial run, if you will." She stopped long enough to take a sip of coffee. The moment she swallowed, she gagged. "Ugh, who made this?"

"Wyatt," Tenley replied, trying to hide her smirk.

Denise poured the coffee down the drain, not just from her mug but also the carafe. She started to rinse it out for a new pot of coffee. She eyed the doctor out of the corner of her eye. "Someone needs to teach that boy how to make a good cup of coffee." Tenley laughed, knowing everyone agreed.

 **1 Mile Outside Wangen**

 **March 31, 1922**

The Lifeboat was nicely hidden in a small grove of brush, out of sight from any passersby. The team quickly stumbled upon an old farmhouse where they managed to secure clothes. The clothes were pretty modest and plain, as was most of the population in the area.

Once dressed the part, the team headed into town. Lucy asked softly, "Do any of you speak German?"

Rufus muttered, "Klingon sounds like German..."

Lucy rolled her eyes and turned to Wyatt and Flynn. Wyatt shook his head. Flynn sighed, nodding that he knew how.

Rufus asked, "Is there anything you can't do?" When Flynn didn't retort, Rufus realized that something was wrong, but didn't ask about it.

When they entered town, Flynn began asking the locals about the Gruber homestead and where they could find them. Of course, none of the team knew what was being said, but Flynn smiled warmly at the locals and turned back to them. He explained, "The homestead is outside of town, about half a mile from here."

"Follow the yellow brick road then?" Rufus asked, pointing to the hay littered dirt road. When Flynn brushed passed him, Rufus turned towards Lucy, "What's his problem?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, as she followed Flynn down the road, Wyatt beside her.

Rufus stated, "He's grumpier than his usual self."

"Hadn't noticed," Wyatt and Lucy both said. Which was true. Wyatt didn't care enough to keep up with Flynn's moods, and Lucy was too busy being upset with Christopher for sidelining her.

"So, what's the plan here?" Wyatt asked as they walked down the country road that led further into the woods, changing topics. "We stop a mass murder from happening?"

Lucy shrugged. "I'm not even sure... I mean, there's not much to say about it."

"What happened?" Rufus asked.

Lucy spoke softly, even though they were alone on the road, "The story goes that this family all live out here on this homestead. The husband of the household - Karl Gabriel - supposedly died on the front lines in World War I, but his body was never found."

"How'd they determine he died then?" Wyatt asked.

Lucy replied, "The police questioned some of his fellow soldiers who claimed they saw him die."

"What? That's it?" Wyatt asked in disbelief. "Just like that, they believe them?"

"They were soldiers," she explained. "They served alongside him, of course they'd believe them." She continued, "Anyways, the wife continued to live in the house with her parents, the kids, and the maid. They were found murdered days later after the postman noticed they hadn't picked up their mail from the box in two days, and the daughter never showed up for school the next day. During the investigation, they believed that whoever was responsible had lured the members of the family out to the barn, one by one, and bashed their skulls in with a mattock. Once they finished in the barn, they went inside and killed the baby and the maid."

"Who'd do something like that?" Rufus spat, clearly disgusted by hearing about it.

Lucy nodded in agreement. "What's worse, whoever did it had fed the animals, kept the fire stoked in the house and everything seemed completely normal from the outside."

They caught up to Flynn who had stopped on the road. Just ahead of them sat a homestead. The animals were outside grazing in the nearby field, there was smoke billowing from the chimney, and the sounds of children laughing.

Flynn seemed almost transfixed on the house and kids playing. The little girl who was seen running about the yard, chasing her baby brother, looked almost exactly like Iris. He closed his eyes, trying hard to block out his own memories. He had to focus on the job at hand. All else could wait.

Lucy saw him standing there with his eyes closed. She whispered, "Are you okay?"

His eyes fluttered open. "Fine. Let's get this over with." Lucy didn't say anything more, but watched him as he walked on.

The moment they started up the lane towards the homestead, the widow and her parents eyed them. The father of the widow had come down to meet them halfway. He nodded his hello to the group.

Flynn began to speak to them in German. He had explained to the man that they were old friends of Karl's and he had wanted to stop by as promised to check in on the family.

"English?" the man asked.

Flynn glanced about the team before turning his attention back to the old man before him. Nodding, he said, "Yes."  
The old man smiled. "I thought as much," he said with a thick accent. "Your German isn't polished enough to be one of us."  
Flynn forced a smile. He wasn't amused. There wasn't anything wrong with his German.

The old man motioned them to follow him towards the house. "We haven't heard from Karl or his friends in quite some time."

Lucy's head shot up. "What?" The man turned to face her. She asked completely shocked, "We were told he was dead...that's why we came because..." she glanced about the team before finishing her sentence, "We promised Karl to check in on the family if anything ever happened to him."

The old man blinked at her. "We were told he was dead too, but we had gotten a letter from him a few days after. He said that we should expect him to arrive soon and to be ready to leave the moment he comes for us."

Lucy's brows furrowed. She knew that something was wrong. This was not how history had been in their timeline. History had already changed. Suddenly she was remembering conversations about Bloodstone and the attack on Tenley, how they thought Tenley was her. She recalled the mission to Jamestown where history had already been altered years before they even arrived. She couldn't help but feel on edge, wondering if this was the same situation at hand.

Wyatt must have seen the wheels in her head spinning. He turned to the old man. "Do you know when he said he'd arrive?"

The man thought for a moment. "Just sometime today or this evening, I suspect. You're welcome to wait."

The team smiled as the man walked towards the house to speak with the rest of the family, most likely informing them of the latest interaction. Lucy waited until the man was out of earshot before speaking in a hushed voice, "Something isn't right here."

"I gathered as much," Wyatt stated. "I thought you said that this Karl guy was already dead?"

"He was," she started. "But the police took his comrades' word for his death...there was no official investigation into that..."

"So you're saying he could be alive?" Rufus questioned.

Lucy shrugged. "If history has already changed, who knows anymore..."

The team was invited inside the house for tea. The family had spoken with them about polite niceties, much like you would expect from visiting neighbors; topics such as the weather and the impact the war had had on everyone. Lucy had done the majority of the talking on behalf of the team, seeing as she knew the history of the times.

The kids started to grow antsy at the table, so the grandparents took them back outside, leaving the wife and the team behind. The wife looked at them and asked in nearly perfect English, "Tell me again, how is it that you know my Karl?"

Lucy stated, "My brothers," she motioned to Flynn and Wyatt. "They served with him on the lines."

The woman eyed them, almost as if she saw through the ruse. Her smile had faltered just a moment before asking, "Then why are you here?"

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

The woman stood up from the table, taking a couple of small tea plates with her to the sink. She turned around, crossing her arms. "If you are being honest with me, and you do know Karl, then why are you visiting us at home?"

"Well," Flynn began. "We made a promise to him that we would check in on his family should anything happen to him."

"And what's happened to him?" she questioned, eyebrow raised in challenge.

Flynn didn't bat an eyelash. "We were told he was killed on the lines. He asked that should that happen, that we check in on his family to see that they were being taken care of."

She narrowed her blue eyes at the team. "Who said he was killed?"

The team glanced about each other, feeling as though they were being set up. Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but Rufus quickly chimed in. "Perhaps the man who told us was lying. We're sorry if we intruded."

The woman sighed, letting her arms fall to her sides. "You were misinformed." Her shoulders dropped. "I have to be very careful these days...Karl said that there were people looking for him."

"He told you that?" Lucy asked. The wife nodded.

Wyatt questioned, "When did you speak with him last?"

She thought for a moment. "A few days ago."

"What'd he tell you? Exactly?" Wyatt asked.

She looked at the group before asking, "Why is it so important that you find him? Are you with the other group?"

"What other group?" Rufus asked. Inside, he feared the answer.

"There was a group of smartly dressed men looking for him," she said, leaning against the counter. "Said that they needed to speak to him urgently."

"Did they say what it was about?" Rufus pushed.

She shook her head. "I told him he wasn't here anymore."

Flynn sighed, running a hand through his hair. "How many were there?"

"I don't know," she started. "Maybe four?"

Flynn's eyes met Lucy's. It was beginning to have the same feeling like before; four men in suits, sticking out like sore thumbs in the middle of history, searching for them. They would have to be careful if their fears about these men being Rittenhouse or even Bloodstone turned out to be true.

"Where did these men go when you told them that he wasn't here?" Flynn asked.

The woman replied, "They told me that they'd be staying in town and asked that I send Karl down to see them should he come home early." She looked at the team, suddenly tensing. "What? Who are they? Why are you looking at each other like that?"

Lucy stood up from the table, trying to reassure her. "You didn't do anything wrong, but these men that you told us about...they're dangerous."

"You don't think they're here to kill Karl, do you?" she asked, eyes growing bigger with fear for her husband. Lucy hesitated and the wife saw it. "You think they're here to harm us?"

"I didn't say that," Lucy replied.

"You didn't have to," she spat. "You're just like Karl whenever he'd share bad news..."

"What does that mean?" Rufus asked.

Before she could explain, the kids were squealing outside. They sounded like shouts of joy. The wife sighed heavily. "You might as well come meet him."

"Meet who?" Wyatt asked, standing up from the table.

She didn't stop walking towards the door. "Karl." 


	17. Unforgettable Sorrow

The group, following the wife, stepped outside of the house. Just at the edge of the path leading to the homestead by the road, stood a man being bombarded with hugs and kisses from his kids. The older couple were also standing next to him, almost welcoming him home from a long trip.

When the family started to walk up to the house, the man's eyes landed on the team and he froze, mouth agape.

The wife said, "Your friends have been waiting for you."

Karl swallowed nervously, setting his daughter down onto the grass. He nodded slowly. "Let me set my bag down inside and kiss my wife. I'll be out shortly to join you."

The team nodded, stepping away from the house as they watched Karl and the family walk back inside together. The wait was short - a few minutes - before he returned to the front yard. He approached the team, motioning them to follow him to the barn.

Once they were safely inside the barn, he turned around, pistol aimed at them. "What do you want?"

The team raised their hands instinctively. Wyatt quickly stated, "We just want to talk."

"Yeah?" he asked. "Why won't you people just leave me alone?"

"What are you talking about?" Wyatt questioned.

Karl scoffed. "I know you're not from this timeline. You don't even sound like you belong here."

"Wait," Rufus started. "'This timeline'...so you're not from now either?"

Karl shook his head. "Of course not...isn't that why you're here?"

Lucy replied, "No...not exactly."

"Then why are you here?" he asked.

"First," Flynn jumped in. "Mind lowering your weapon? Clearly we're not here to do you any harm, or your family..."

Karl nodded, lowering his pistol, but still holding onto it, just in case. Flynn looked over to Lucy and she began, "You're with Rittenhouse, aren't you?"

Karl released a short sigh. "I was...I left."

"How do you just leave something like that?" Rufus questioned. "I thought no one could just leave-"

"Why do you think I've tried to fake my own death?" Karl spat. "I don't want them to come looking for me."

"Might be too late for that," Wyatt stated. "They know you're here; it's why we're here."

Karl ran his hand across his face, wiping away the beading sweat from his brow. Lucy asked, "Why are you trying to leave Rittenhouse?"

Karl shook his head. "You're telling me that you don't know?"

"Know what?" she pushed.

He took a deep breath in. "Rittenhouse helped me when they first recruited me. Told me that I would make a difference to the world in ways unimaginable. I asked them what I would get out of it...they paid my family's debts, cleared my innocent brother's name and got him released from prison... how could I refuse?" He paced a few steps before stopping, thinking about what to say next. "They took me off the streets, near death, and offered me a place to live - rent free - food always stocked...I mean, it was like I won the lottery." He turned back to face the team. "When they brought me in to see the Mothership, I thought it was joke. But then I was sent with them back in time. It was unreal to me. When I asked them what it was that they wanted me to do, they explained that I would need some training, but when it was over, they'd place me here to await further orders." He walked back in front of the team, looking between them. "I have been here for over twenty years. I fell in love, I went to war... I made a life for myself here..."

"So what changed?" Wyatt asked, clearly wanting to get to the end of the story.

Karl explained, "There are regular check-ins with Rittenhouse agents in the field. On one of the check-ins, I was informed that a mission back in France was successful; our contacts had been reestablished. I was to expect changes to be coming. When I heard who the contacts were and what they demanded...I couldn't live with that, no matter the cost. I told the agent who came to do the last check-in that I wanted out - to leave me here with my family and never return for me..."

"Who are the contacts you're talking about?" Wyatt questioned.

Karl looked at him. "You're joking, right?" When the team didn't reply, he scoffed. "You don't know, do you?"

"Know what?" Wyatt asked, shaking his head in near annoyance. He hated playing the pronoun game, and he was feeling as though Karl was doing it on purpose to prolong this conversation.

"Bloodstone," Karl replied. "You have no idea who they are, do you?"

Lucy shook her head. "No...who are they?"

Karl met her dark eyes. "If I were a religious man, I'd say that they were spawns of the devil himself. They're worse than Rittenhouse."

"Worse?" Rufus repeated, almost in shock. "How is that possible?"

Karl turned his attention to Rufus. "Rittenhouse is like a kitten compared to Bloodstone."

"What do they want?" Lucy asked.

Karl shook his head. "I don't really know...but I know that they are hell bent on find you."

"Me?" she asked. "What for?"

He shook his head again. "I don't know. I didn't ask questions. I was too busy trying to find a way to get them off my trail."

"Well, I hate to say this to you," Flynn stated. "But they've been here. They're staying in town, waiting for you to return."

Karl's face fell. "What? When did that happen?"

"Your wife told us just a few hours ago," Lucy replied.

Karl shifted in his place. "If they're here, then it's only a matter of time before they find and kill me." He saw the looks on the teams' faces. "What aren't you telling me?"

Lucy started, "I had no idea that you were a sleeper agent, but... now I think it all makes sense..." Karl motioned for her to get to the point. She added, "In our timeline, in our history, it tells of the story of a family - this family - being murdered, one by one..."

"Who does history say did it?" Karl asked, almost afraid of the answer.

Lucy shook her head. "They never found the killer...or killers. History states that you died on the lines in France...and investigations continued all the way through to the late 80s."

Karl's eyes closed, almost as if he were pained. "So, they came for me and murdered my family...even when I begged them not to?" Flynn looked at him as he uttered those words. He knew the pain this man was facing because he had been there. Unlike Karl, he never had a chance to save his family; no one to come to warn him.

Lucy asked, "Is there anyway that you can get your family out of here without them knowing?"

"It's a small town," Karl pointed out. "Nothing happens without everyone knowing about it."

"Perhaps we can ambush them," Wyatt suggested. "We know they're coming. They don't know that we're here."

Karl asked, "What do you propose we do?"

Wyatt thought for a moment. "We find a way to get your family away from here. Wait until the cover of dark and then get them into the woods nearby-"

"Woods aren't safe," Karl interrupted. "To be honest, the shadows are where Bloodstone men hide. I'm not even sure that it's safe to wait until dark."

Lucy looked between the men around her. "We have to do something..."

Suddenly, Karl's face lit up. "We have a priest hole in the house."

"A what?" Wyatt and Rufus asked almost in unison.

Lucy quickly explained, "They were used to hide priests from execution during rule of Queen Elizabeth I. They were usually hidden behind walls or floors..." She turned back to Karl. "Where in the house? Is it big enough for everyone?"

Karl shook his head. "It would fit some of the family, but not all of them."

"Then we should find a place to hide the rest of your family," Flynn suggested. His eyes were fixated on a few crates stacked neatly within the barn. He pointed to them. "You might not like my next idea..."

Lucy turned to look at the crates, and turned back to Flynn. She could see the desperation within his eyes, that salt in the wound effect that this mission was taking on him, but she knew that this was personal for him. She faced Karl. "Show me the priest hole. Let's see how big we need to make the second one."

"Wait-what?" Rufus asked. "We're building our own priest hole?"

Flynn tossed Wyatt and Rufus a shovel each. "Let's get to digging."

Lucy and Karl walked back into the house. The family were sitting around the table, except the wife who was busy making dinner. Lucy hadn't realized how late it had become. She feared they might not make it in time before Rittenhouse or Bloodstone - whichever it was that was in town - had decided to show up unannounced.

Karl walked her upstairs and at the end of the hallway, he motioned to the wall. She looked at it before turning her attention back to him. "I'm not sure what to look for."

He pulled a small knob on the wall, opening the door to the hidden room. Lucy peeked inside. Karl had been truthful when he said that it wouldn't hold his whole family. She pointed out the obvious, "It'd hold your in-laws..."

He nodded. "I know...If I knew for sure that the kids would stay quiet, I'd put them in there but-"

"No, they should stay with their mother," Lucy agreed. She knew that the two children wouldn't be able to stay quiet should the attack come inside the house. The moment the baby started to cry, they'd be discovered. She hoped that whatever Flynn's plan was, it was enough to keep Karl's entire family safe from harm.

Karl closed the door and asked, "How do I explain this to my family? How do I tell my children that I'm going to be responsible for their potential deaths?"

"You tell them the truth," Lucy replied softly. "The war followed you home, and you need to do this one last battle for them to be completely free from all harm. Once it's over, you leave this place and you never return."

Karl nodded and said, "Then let's go tell them. We have a lot of work to do before these men show up."

They headed back down the stairs, where the family waited for them. Karl began to address the family. When he was finished, he nodded to Lucy and his father in-law, who followed him back out to the barn.

Outside in the barn, everyone got to work digging a hole large enough to hold the family. As they dug the hole, Karl looked over at Flynn. "This seems to be a personal mission for you." When Flynn eyed the man, Karl stated, "It's written all over your face." Flynn turned away from him, continuing to dig, when Karl asked, "What happened to you?"

Flynn sighed as he worked. "I discovered Rittenhouse by chance when I worked with the NSA." Karl waited for him to continue. "They murdered my wife and my daughter in their beds." Flynn stood up straight, taking a brief break from digging. "I still hear their laughs...I can still see their faces - their smiles...I can still smell my wife's perfume every now and then..." He turned to face Karl. "I didn't have anyone to give me warning that this was happening. No one to save the day. And I'd give anything to change history-"

"That's why you stole the Mothership, isn't it?" Karl asked. When Flynn nodded, Karl added, "We heard stories about you, but never the details. I guess they didn't want anyone to know what they were capable of, huh?"

Flynn eyed the man. "If you and your family survive this, you better find a way to get off the grid...find a way to survive without being found. There's no telling whether they will just let you go...let you live... and if I can stop someone else from living a life filled with torment and grief, then I'll have done something..." his voice trailed off. He fought back the sting of tears, returning to digging.

Karl didn't pressure him to finish his thoughts. He knew what this man was feeling, even if it was just to a point. He couldn't imagine losing his entire family the way that history had dictated. He related to Flynn in a lot of ways. If his family were to die, he'd probably try to steal the Mothership too, just to try and save his family. Karl knew that he was given a chance to save his family without having to do anything drastic. He also acknowledged that if he had to, he'd die so that his family would live.

When the group finished digging the hole that would hold Karl, his wife and kids, they began to build a box out of the wood crates from the barn to make a makeshift priest hole. They worked quickly and efficiently.

Rufus muttered to Wyatt, "Mason would have loved to have been a part of making this."

"Really?" Wyatt asked, seemingly surprised. "Why's that?"

Rufus chuckled, "The chance to build something new ... well, to order people around while they build something new..."

They shared a laugh. Wyatt asked, "I don't understand one thing..." he looked around before lowering his voice even further. "Why are we doing this for this guy?"

"What do you mean?" Rufus asked.

"I mean," Wyatt started. "He's Rittenhouse. Why do we care what happens to him?"

"I think it's more about his family than him," Rufus pointed out. "Besides, he's tried to leave Rittenhouse...you heard what he said about why he even joined." Wyatt grunted in response. Rufus asked, "What would you do if the tables were turned? What would you do if Rittenhouse approached you and said they could give you Jessica but only if you worked with them?"

Wyatt's heart dropped at the mention of Jessica. Even though in the original timeline, Jessica was murdered and they caught the killer, there was still that agony and regret associated with her name. He tried to put himself in the shoes of Karl, but knowing what he knew about Rittenhouse, he couldn't see himself agreeing to work with them, even with the promise of having Jessica back in his life. Maybe a few years ago when it was still fresh, maybe then he'd have said yes...

Rufus broke Wyatt's thoughts. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Wyatt lied. "Just dandy. Let's get this finished. We're running out of time."


	18. From The Edge Of Despair

**A/N: Thank you All-Is-Not-Lost for your reviews! I appreciate all of them! I hope you continue reading!**

 **Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

The sun had set hours ago. The kids were asleep on a few bales of hay inside the barn. Karl and his wife were quietly arguing about the plan at hand. Karl's in-laws were already hiding out in the safety of the priest hole. They understood the dangers and agreed to wait there until someone came to get them.

Wyatt muttered to the team, "We're wasting time here. They need to get into the damn hole before Rittenhouse shows up."

"Could be Bloodstone," Rufus reminded him. When Wyatt eyed him, he added, "Not that it matters who it is, really..."

Lucy nodded in agreement. "I just don't want to get in the middle of ... that." She motioned to their fighting. Their voices were hushed, but their body language and hand gestures spoke louder than anything else.

Wyatt sighed. "We don't have time for this..." He walked over to them. "Listen," he started, getting their attention. "You really need to get into the cage... we still need to cover you up so you're hidden."

Karl turned to Wyatt. "There's a small problem..."

"What?" Wyatt asked, tone rising with annoyance.

"She doesn't want me to fight," Karl admitted.

"But you're not-" Wyatt replied.

Karl shook his head. "They're after me. I need to man up and protect my family... I need to end this."

"They'll kill you," his wife started.

Karl raised his hand to silence her. "If I die, you and the rest of the family have a chance to escape and live out your life without having to look over your shoulder... I'd gladly die to make sure that you're all safe."

"But you don't know if we will be!" she spat at him.

Wyatt exhaled sharply. "We don't have time for this. Get in the damned hole!"

Lucy started to gentle encourage them into the safety of the makeshift priest hole. As she began to lower the kids into the ground to the wife, Flynn whispered loudly, "We've got company."

Wyatt cursed under his breath. "Get in there...quickly!"

Lucy handed the baby off to the wife and Wyatt suggested, "I think you should get inside with them."

Lucy furrowed her brow. "What? No. You need me!"

Wyatt shook his head. "I think it's better if you're hiding with them. Keep the kids calm." What he didn't tell her was how he feared that these men might do something to her, either take her back with them to God knows where or they'll kill her. He couldn't go through that again.

Lucy was about to protest when she realized that they still needed to bury the priest hole. She nodded, pushing aside her pride and fear, and helped get the top of the cage over them.

The moment the lid was secured, the rugs were pulled over, and dirt was being shoveled over them. Lucy hated tight places. She closed her eyes, trying hard to breath, trying to think of other places, outdoor spaces with lots of air and no walls. She felt a small hand grab hers and her eyes opened.

It was pitch black inside the hole. She heard the tiny whisper of a voice, "It's okay to be scared...I'm scared too."

She smiled, not that anyone could see it. She gently squeezed the little girl's hand, holding her tightly. "Thank you. I'm glad you're sitting next to me." It wasn't until the cage was completely covered up and the dirt distributed like the rest of the barn, that Lucy realized that Karl was not inside with them.

Outside the barn, just as they were informed, stood four men in black suits. They were armed and waiting for them to emerge. The man standing in the front shouted, "We know you're in there, Karl! Come on out! Give it up."

Flynn turned to look at the men. "There are four..."

Wyatt was about to suggest a plan of attack when Rufus muttered, "What does he think he's doing?"

Everyone's eyes lifted to see Karl approaching the men. In his hands was a shotgun.

Flynn gritted his teeth. After everything they spoke of, he was angry that this man was out there facing these dangerous men, after they had all agreed that he stay out of the way. On the other side, he understood why the man was out there. He had to protect his family, show these men that he'd not be intimidated. He knew that he'd most likely be in the same place had he had the chance.

Flynn muttered, "Be ready to fire."

The three readied themselves, watching the scene outside the barn unfold.

The leader of the suits asked, "Where's your family, Karl? The house was empty. You're not hiding them, are you?"

Karl shook his head. "They left. Wife wants nothing to do with me."

"I find it hard to believe," the leader stated. "Seeing as though we've been in the house. She's still here, so is the rest of your family. Where are they?"

Karl steadied his shotgun on the leader. "Why does it matter to you where they are?"

"Because," the man started. "We can't leave here until each and every one of you is dead."

"Why?" Karl demanded. "All I asked for was to be left alone!"

"See," the leader took a step forward, stopping in his tracks when he saw the shotgun raise an inch. "When you joined Rittenhouse, you signed up for this...there is no getting out. They bought you by freeing your family."

Karl shook his head. "I didn't agree to you."

The man smiled a half smile, but it was enough to send chills down the spine. "You know nothing about us."

"I know enough," Karl admitted.

The leader raised his hands, showing he was unarmed. "What if we made a deal with you?" The team listened in closely to hear what they were going to offer.

Karl asked, "And what kind of deal would that be?"

The leader said, "We know that a group of people from our time showed up. We want the girl."

"Why?" Karl questioned.

"That's none of your concern," the leader stated.

Wyatt whispered, "They want Lucy."  
Flynn nodded. He feared what this group would do with Lucy. He was suddenly thankful that Wyatt had the brains to place her with the family inside the priest hole.

The leader said, "You give me the girl from that group of travelers, and you and your family are free to go."

"I don't believe you," Karl spat.

The leader shrugged, giving a short nod. "That's a shame." He motioned for someone to step forward from behind him. One of the other suited men approached the leader of the group, pulling with him the family's maid.

Wyatt saw the girl and asked, "Who's that?"

"The maid," Flynn replied.

"Was she here when we were talking about our plan?" Wyatt asked.

Flynn tried to remember if he had seen the girl or not. He remembered Lucy mentioning the maid before they left for this mission, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember actually seeing her since they set foot on the homestead.

Rufus asked, "Didn't she die in the original timeline?" The men turned their attention back outside to see what would unfold.

The maid struggled against the suited man's hold. The leader's stare bored into Karl. He stated, "You've got yourself quite the predicament."

Karl had raised his shotgun to his shoulder. "Let her go."

"I propose a fair trade," the leader said. "Your maid for the girl you're hiding." When Karl didn't immediately reply, the leader added, "Or we can kill your maid and take the girl we're looking for regardless."

Inside the barn, Rufus hissed, "They're going to kill him...we've got to do something!"

Flynn turned his attention back to Wyatt, giving him the opportunity to jump in and agree to a plan of attack, but Wyatt seemed unsure as to what to do. The suited men had a hostage, Karl was standing in the line of fire, and they had the family buried in a 'panic room' situation within the barn, not to mention Lucy being with them.

Flynn finally said, "We've got to act. Rufus, head up to the hayloft in the barn, provide some cover from up there." Rufus glanced between Wyatt and Flynn for a moment before nodding and rushing up to the upper floor of the barn.

Wyatt turned to Flynn. "We can't let them come inside here."

Flynn nodded. "There are four of them. We should be able to take them out..." His voice showed that he wasn't convinced of his plan, but what other choice did they have? They had to do something, and fast.

Rufus had gotten into position and could see that the Suits, Karl, and the maid were standing outside still. He did see however, that the tension was beginning to rise. The suits standing in the back were drawing their weapons.

Wyatt whispered, "There's a cart just to the left of the doors. We charge out, run for the cover, and try to take them out."

Flynn nodded. He remembered the cart outside. It had been used to gather up fresh hay for the animals. Thinking of the animals caused Flynn to glance over his shoulder. He studied the horses that were in their stalls. He turned to Wyatt, who had the same thought come to mind.

The Leader said calmly, "Last chance, Karl."

Karl's eyes darted over to his maid. She looked terrified. Then his eyes darted behind her to the men in the back of the group. They had their weapons drawn. His finger started to wrap around the trigger on his shotgun.

Just before he could pull the trigger, the doors to the barn slammed open, causing everyone to turn to see what was happening. The horses, cows, and pigs started running towards the group of people standing there in the yard. Karl sprinted across the yard to avoid being trampled on. The Suits and the maid ran to the opposite side, avoiding the animals.

Gunfire rained down on the group as Flynn and Wyatt had managed to secure their spot behind the cart to the left of the barn doors. Rufus was firing from his spot within the hayloft window, and once Karl had regained his composure, he began to fire at the Suits as well.

The well-dressed men returned fire, though it took them a moment to see where they were being attacked from. The maid was still with them, huddling down, praying to not get shot.

Flynn peeked around the corner of the cart to see where the men had hunkered down. He could see two of them by the feeding troughs. He relayed that information to Wyatt.

Wyatt had zeroed in on the leader of the group, who had the maid and her captor with him. They had found a spot behind the fence by the house. He focused his energy on trying to hit the leader of the group.

Flynn had paused his attack on the two he could see and fired a shot just as they popped up to take aim at him. He managed to kill one of them. The second one tried his luck, firing round after round at Flynn. Flynn turned his body away from the barrage of bullets, waiting for the pause in gunfire before sticking his neck back out and firing his shots at the man. The second man was hit in the shoulder, falling backwards briefly. The man recovered and took off running away from the fight towards the woods.

Flynn stood up from behind his cover, aiming carefully to take out the fleeing target, but it was too late. The man was safely within the hidden woods. Flynn didn't chase him.

The leader and his companion had seen the man flee. The leader grabbed the maid and stood up, using her as a shield. Suddenly, everyone waited on the offense. They didn't want to risk killing the maid.

Karl aimed his weapon at the men as they tried to flee, he shouted, "Give up! You're finished!"

The leader fired a couple of rounds in the direction of Karl, missing, but it provided him just enough of an opportunity to push the young maid towards Karl and run for the woods.

Karl caught the girl before she hit the ground, but he still fired a couple of shots towards the fleeing suits. They ran and never looked back.

Once the danger was passed, the men came out from their cover to assess the situation. Wyatt approached Karl and his maid. "Are you okay?"

Karl continued to stare at the dark woods on the edge of his homestead. "We should go after them."

"They're probably long gone now," Flynn replied, walking up to them. He figured that they had the Mothership waiting within those woods. If that were the case, the moment they reached the machine, they would have left.

Karl shook his head. "I'll never be free from them, will I?" He turned his attention to Flynn. "They're going to keep coming for my family, won't they?"

Flynn wanted to say something positive, but deep down, he knew that what Karl said was true. It was true for his personal story. Rittenhouse killed his family, forcing him to do horrible things in pursuit of righting the wrongs placed on his loved ones and life, but... here, things were different. The situation was different. Karl's family was still alive. They might be able to leave Munich and go someplace else, somewhere off the map and live together without fear of being hunted down like animals, but there was no way of saying it for sure.

Karl saw the hesitation behind Flynn's eyes. He nodded. "That's what I thought."

Wyatt turned his attention to the young maid. "Are you okay?"

She sniffled, wiping the tears from her face, nodding at the question. "Who were those people? What did they want?"

Karl wrapped his arms around the girl. "They're gone now. We don't have to worry anymore."

Flynn admired the man's resolve. No matter the circumstance, Karl was determined to try and protect his family from the truth; but Flynn knew that the truth had a way of catching up with a person, even when you thought you had come to terms with the demons.

The maid nodded, pulling away. "Where's your family? Are they safe?"

Karl sighed. "Yeah... let's go get them."

Wyatt and Flynn watched as the two of them headed towards the barn. Wyatt stopped Flynn and asked, "You think he's safe?"

Flynn shook his head. "No..." He turned back to the darkened woods and added, "I think it was too easy of a fight."

Wyatt nodded. "I thought so too, especially with how things turned out last time."

Flynn was reminded of how badly Tenley had been treated with their first run-in with Bloodstone. He felt that this was too easy. He began to worry that there was something more involved here than just this simple showdown of firepower.

Wyatt started towards the barn. "But it's not our problem. Let's get Lucy and go home."  
Flynn forced himself to follow Wyatt into the barn.

Once they got inside the barn, they saw that Rufus, Karl, and the maid were working together to dig the family out of the makeshift priest hole. Wyatt jumped to their aid in freeing them.

Flynn looked around the barn. Something just felt off to him, though he couldn't pinpoint why. He spied Karl's shotgun leaning up against the wall with the farm tools. He watched as Karl pulled the rugs off the crates.

Wyatt and Rufus opened the cage and started to pull the members out one by one. The maid took the kids from Rufus as he handed them off. She set them down. When the wife got out of the hole, she embraced the maid. She looked at everyone, thanking them for their aid, and said, "I should go get my parents." She rushed from the barn towards the house.

Lucy reached up and grasped the hands of Wyatt and Rufus. They hoisted her out and she hugged them. "Thank God," she whispered. "I was beginning to worry that you had forgotten about us."

"Couldn't forget you," Wyatt mumbled. She heard and smiled.

Lucy glanced over and saw Flynn standing by himself, deep in thought. She approached him. "Hey." He turned to face her and she added, "Are you okay?"

He blinked at the question. "Something doesn't feel right..."

Lucy asked, "What happened?"

Flynn filled her in on the conversations that took place before the fight, then the battle itself. He mentioned how easy it seemed to be for them to hold off these men.

Lucy asked, "Do you think they're still here, waiting for us to leave?"

Flynn shook his head. "I don't know...but I don't think we're finished here."

Before Lucy could ask anymore questions, headlights were approaching the barn. Karl stopped next to Flynn. He stated, "Looks like the police. I'm sure our gunfight caused a stir in town."

The two policemen approached the barn, but stopped in their tracks and motioned for them to come outside. Karl added, "Let me do the talking."

Karl stepped outside to address the officers. He began to exchange words with them, but stopped and glanced over his shoulder back to the barn. He called for Wyatt and Flynn to join them.

Lucy watched with concern as they walked out to speak with the officers. She wondered what was being said, why they were being investigated. Her thoughts were broken by the sound of the children crying. It wouldn't have been a big deal to her to hear the kids crying, but the sound behind their cries made her believe that something was wrong.

When Lucy turned to see what was happening, she spied Rufus crouched down with the kids, protectively shielding them with his body. Her brown eyes drifted over to see the maid standing there, aiming Karl's shotgun at him. Lucy's throat went dry. She opened her mouth to speak, but the maid glared at her, saying, "One word, and I'll shoot them."

"There are two armed officers out there," Lucy reminded her. "Are you sure you've thought this through?"

The maid started to inch her way towards Lucy. "You're going to come with me."

Lucy looked at Rufus and the kids. "Just lowered your weapon...I'll come with you."

Rufus hissed, "No!"

The maid turned her aim at Lucy. "Then walk. Let's go."

Lucy asked, "What are you planning on doing? March right passed those men outside?"

"Sounds about right," she spat. "If they try anything, you die."

Lucy felt the barrel of the shotgun nudge her in the back, forcing her to walk outside of the barn.

The moment the two exited the barn, the men's full attention turned towards them. The officers drew their pistols, aiming it at the maid. Orders were being shouted for her to lower the gun.

Flynn and Wyatt froze in place for a moment, seeing that the maid had a gun trained on Lucy. Karl shouted at her, "What are you doing?"

"Like you should be surprised?" the girl yelled. "I'm doing this for your family!"

Karl asked, "How is this for my family?"

"They will come back," she replied. "Unless we give them what they want!" She pushed Lucy forward with the barrel of the gun.

The officers shouted at her again to lower the gun or risk being killed.

Karl tried again. "This isn't like you-"

"You don't know me!" the girl shouted back. "Like you, I don't belong here!" Karl's eyebrows furrowed. She laughed, still pushing Lucy forward. "I must be a better actor than you!"

While Karl distracted the maid, Flynn had managed to get behind the girl. He knew that he would have to wait for his moment to attack because if he did it while the gun was against Lucy's back, the maid would pull the trigger.

Karl shouted, "If you're so hell-bent on killing me, then do it!" He stepped forward, arms stretched out to his sides.

The maid smirked. "It's not just you that they want."

"Who?" Wyatt asked. "Bloodstone?"

The maid's eyes landed on Wyatt. "This is just the beginning..."

"What do they want with Lucy?" Wyatt asked, stepping forward.

"It's not just what Bloodstone wants with Lucy, but Rittenhouse," she explained.

"For what, though?" Wyatt tried again. He stepped closer to her.

"Stay back!" the maid shouted, whirling her aim at Wyatt.

The moment that her aim shifted, Flynn grasped the gun from her hold, yanking it up towards her face. The blow broke her nose, causing her to fire the shotgun. The blast echoed in the night.

The girl tried to attack Flynn with a hidden knife, but the officers fired their pistols at her. Flynn flinched at the sudden bombardment of bullets, lucky to have been missed. When the maid's lifeless body fell to the earth, Flynn's eyes blinked up to meet Lucy's.

Lucy stood there, staring at the woman's lifeless body, mouth agape and eyes wide. She met Flynn's gaze, thankful to still be alive. Her heart was beating so hard, she feared it would break her ribs.

Flynn took a step towards her, but stopped when Wyatt rushed forward, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. He asked, "Are you okay?"

Lucy nodded, not taking her eyes off of Flynn. She saw something in his face for a split second. She thought she had seen relief wash over him, but when the realization that it wasn't his family that he had saved, but someone else's, his face had hardened back to the way she was used to seeing. She wondered if she'd ever see that softer side of him again.

Flynn had hardened again. Resentment boiled within him. Bitterness was beginning to rise. He would never understand why anyone would target innocent lives, such as women and children, in hopes that it silences their targets. The tactic didn't work on him, but rather, it had fueled his need to stop them.

Staring at the dead maid, memories had flashed before his eyes of the moment when he had discovered his wife's body. The color draining from her beautiful face, the fear written on her delicate features, and the pain within her lifeless eyes which still held tears. It was at that moment he had realized that his daughter was also gone.

"Flynn?" a voice asked, breaking the hold on him. Flynn looked up to see Karl standing before him. When he was sure that Flynn was paying attention, he asked, "What happens now?"

Flynn studied Karl's face. "You get out of the country with your family. Live off the grid as long as possible until this is over."

"What if it's never over," he asked.

Flynn thought for a moment. "You still have your family...to me, that means that it's over for you, just as long as you do whatever you can to keep them safe."

Karl nodded but tilted his head at Flynn. "What about you? What would you do if you got your family back?"

Flynn had thought about it since the day he started to fight against Rittenhouse. The day that his family had been killed, he had changed into a different being entirely. He was forced to become a monster; this was a side of him he never wanted his family exposed to. What he had said at the beginning of all of this was still resonating as truth to him; he'd have to walk away from them.

As the police officers examined the dead maid, Lucy and Wyatt approached Karl and Flynn. Lucy asked, "Where's Rufus?"

Everyone exchanged glances. There wasn't a sound - not even the kids were crying like they had before. They rushed back into the barn to see Rufus trying to fight off a man in a black suit, wielding a mattock. The kids were huddled against the corner of the barn, holding their heads down in fear.

Rufus had dodged several swings, but was unsure how to defend himself as he was unarmed.

Flynn and Wyatt rushed forward, but slid to a stop when the suited man turned his swings towards them. Lucy turned back around to the police officers and shouted, "In here!"

The men glanced at each other, not fully understanding what she was shouting, but came rushing over, simply due to the sound of her voice being distressed. When they stood in the doorway of the barn, watching this man swing about the mattock, they withdrew their pistols once more.

Karl quickly ordered them to lower their weapons, motioning to the corner of the barn where his children were. When their eyes landed on the helpless kids, they tried a different approach.

Flynn tried to get close, but it proved difficult as the swings got closer and closer for comfort. Wyatt quickly grabbed some rope and began to make a lasso out of it.

The suited man swung at Rufus, hitting his leg. Luckily for him, it was the side of the mattock and not the ends which would have caused serious damage. He screamed out in pain, clutching his leg as he fell to the ground. He tried to pull himself out of harm's way, but the suited man pursued him, eyes blazing red with anger.

Wyatt managed to toss the lasso around the mattock, pulling with all of his might to try and dislodge it from the angered man's hands, but the Suit jerked just as hard back, pulling Wyatt from his place.

Flynn saw his opportunity and rushed forward. He tackled the man to the ground, and without hesitation, Flynn began to beat the man within an inch of his life.

Everyone froze. They watched with horror and confusion as Flynn continued to beat the man senseless. Lucy understood why. Out of everyone present, Lucy had been told by Flynn about his family, what Rittenhouse had done, what it meant to him from a personal vendetta, and what he would do if given the chance to face them.

Karl had understood from the brief conversations he shared with Flynn. This was personal for him, even though it wasn't his family. The pain and memories that cropped up from even being here and dealing with a situation that was too similar to his own caused him to act out.

The police officers began to approach Flynn, but Karl stopped them. He muttered something to them, and then nodded, leaving him alone for a moment longer. Eventually, their good conscious wouldn't allow them to stand idly by while a man was being beaten to death.

Wyatt eyed the officers out of the corner of his eye and shouted, "Flynn!"

Flynn continued beating the man. His knuckles were becoming bruised. The skin was broken and bleeding, but with every punch, he saw his wife and daughter. With every groan he heard escape from the man's lips, he heard their screams. Each time he saw the man's eyes trying to steal a glance at Lucy, Flynn tried to silence him before he could get a good look at her. He'd die first before he'd allow anyone from either Bloodstone or Rittenhouse to continue to hurt those he cared about. It didn't matter to him who those people were. Enough was enough for him.

"Flynn!" Wyatt shouted again, this time there was more conviction behind his tone.

It was enough to cause Flynn to stop what he was doing and glance up. His face was wet from sweat and blood. When he noticed the officers slowly approaching him, he stood up and backed away, almost ashamed by what he had done. He brushed passed everyone in the barn to head outside.

Lucy knelt down next to Rufus, checking his leg, and asked, "Are you okay?"

Rufus blinked. "I'm...not sure... what the hell just happened?" He hissed in pain from Lucy's tender touch to his thigh. "Flynn just went all 'Fight Club' on that guy..."

Lucy looked up. Karl had grabbed his kids and exited the barn. Wyatt bent down, helping Rufus to his feet. The three of them started towards the barn door. When they reached the door, Karl was outside exchanging words with Flynn once more, the kids clutching to him. The police officers were inside the barn, dealing with the aftermath of the suited man left bloodied and beaten. Once Karl had finished speaking with Flynn, he approached the house, where his wife and in-laws were waiting for them.

Flynn didn't move. When the three approached him, he muttered, "Let's get the hell out of here."


	19. Flight Into The Unknown

**Present Day**

Tenley sat inside the confines of her room. She had her laptop, which had been set up to the safety protocols by members of Homeland Security. She was allowed limited access to help her work while inside the bunker, should she need references or resources in handling certain situations.

Agent Christopher had understood the need when Tenley approached her regarding the impossible nature of handling an entire makeshift hospital with just her knowledge alone. Doctors looked things up frequently and she was no different, but to live in hiding without any outside connection, it would be setting her up for possible failure.

One of the other additions she requested was access to her email accounts. She explained that she would like the ability to at least have access in case she needed to seek advice should the need arise. When Agent Christopher began to explain the dangers involved, she stated that inside hospitals, doctors and other staff would get together once or twice a day to do what was called, 'rounds', where they would discuss or brainstorm patients and their ailments. Usually by doing this, they were able to come up with answers that might not have come so easily to the attending. Tenley expressed that her email would be strictly business only, and that she'd allow full access to Agent Christopher if she didn't think she could be trusted.

Denise had explained that it had less to do with trust and more to do with security. Should Rittenhouse be searching for IP addresses, it might link them back to the bunker, exposing the entire operation. Tenley pointed out that the same was true about cell phones, and yet they had a few of those.

Tenley provided her passwords and log in information to Agent Christopher in exchange for being allowed access. She acknowledged the seriousness of the secrecy, and explained that she wasn't about to go breaking the rules. Everything would strictly be professional and business related only.

However, on this particular day, Tenley opened her email and scanned through the topics. Most of the emails were duplicated forwards that other doctors had already answered, so she was able to file those away.

There was one email however, that stuck out to her. She recognized the handle. It was from an old mentor from when she was in Med School, Tim.

Tim was the man who had approached Tenley regarding an opportunity to help make a difference in third world countries by providing medical care. He had suggested that she take a full semester off to get the full hands-on experience.

He was an older man in his late fifties who had a cheery disposition. He was from France and had an accent that made a lot of people swoon. Tenley had always thought that it was contrived, but said nothing. She hadn't been to France, so she didn't have much experience with their accents to know.

The two of them had grown close, becoming good friends, but as her semester off began to come to an end, and she was looking forward to returning to Med School, Tim began to act a little odd to her. He professed his love for her, which made her uneasy. To this day, she never told anyone about Tim and what had transpired between them, but she still remained in touch with him, but much more reserved. She had to explain to him that she wasn't interested but still valued his friendship. It seemed to sate him, but then almost all communication had ceased.

Until now.

The email was brief and to the point; _Hello, Tenley. How are you?_

She stared at the words. It had been several years since she had heard from him. After the awkward exchange she had with him regarding his feelings towards her, he had only reached out two other times to see if she wanted to go with him to other countries to repeat what she did when she first met him. Both times, she had to decline - not from lack of interest, but lack of ability with her job at the hospital.

Thinking that this was another one of those times, she responded to the email. _Hello, Tim. I am well. Hope you are, too._

She hit send. She thought about the email, wondering if she should have even bother to respond. It wasn't really business, but it was at one point.

Before she could continue to dwell on the email and her reply, the alarms wailed within the bunker, announcing to everyone the return of the team. She signed out of the email account and shut the computer down, closing the lid. She stood up, setting the email far from her mind.

By the time Tenley arrived to the common living area, she saw the team already making their way towards her. Wyatt stated, "Rufus was attacked. Not sure how bad it is-"

"Oh, it's bad," Rufus groaned, hobbling his way to the infirmary with the assistance of Wyatt.

Tenley nodded, helping Rufus walk to the infirmary, while Lucy filled in the events with Agent Christopher.

Once inside the infirmary, Tenley said, "Get him up on the table here." She released her hold on Rufus so she could start getting her supplies together.

Wyatt helped Rufus up onto the table and waited. When Tenley turned around, she asked, "What happened?"

"He was hit in the leg by a mattock," Wyatt explained.

Tenley's brows furrowed. "Isn't that like a pickaxe?"

Wyatt nodded. "Yeah, he caught the side of it."

The doctor nodded in return. "You're lucky. Had you caught the ends, you might not have a leg anymore."

Rufus grimaced as Tenley set to work cutting the pant leg to expose his incredibly bruised leg.

Flynn had holed himself up in his room since they had returned. Agent Christopher asked Lucy, "What happened to Flynn?"

Lucy shook her head. "I think this mission was one maybe he shouldn't have been a part of."

"What do you mean?" Christopher pushed.

Lucy explained, "Karl was a Rittenhouse agent who had decided that he had had enough - wanted out - and they came after him anyways. They were planning on killing his family...in fact," she paused, recalling what happened in the original timeline. "Before history changed, they had succeeded in killing the whole family... the fact that we prevented it, and it resembled so closely to what Flynn went through with his own family..."

Her voice trailed off, but Christopher had connected the dots. She nodded that she understood. "I'll send the doc in to talk to him."

Lucy shrugged. "I'm not even sure he'd talk to her about it. He didn't want to talk to any of us-"

"So," Denise interrupted. "What do you suggest?"

Lucy shook her head again. "I don't know if there is anything to be done."

What Lucy and Agent Christopher didn't know, was that on the other side of his door, Flynn was listening in on their conversation. Part of him was angry that they were trying to pry into his life and emotions, while a small part of him had to remind himself that they cared. Either way, he wanted what happened to stay dead and buried.

He forced himself away from his door and sat at the edge of his bed. His eyes drifted up to his bookshelf. Sitting in a small silver picture frame was one of the last photos of his wife and daughter. He sighed heavily, lowering his head into his hands, resting his elbows on his knees, feeling defeated.

Tenley had finished her task with Rufus and handed him some crutches. "Do you know how to use these?"

Rufus smirked. "I broke my leg in Middle School...I'm sure it's like riding a bike, right?" Tenley smiled as he got up and began to use the crutches. "How long do I have to hobble around on these?"

Tenley replied, "Well, your leg is pretty bruised. The less you use it and give it a chance to heal up, the sooner you can ditch them. Maybe a week or two?"

Rufus groaned. "What happens if we have to head out again?"

"You get a pass," Tenley remarked. "You won't be any use for the team if you go out like that." Rufus smiled wide. Tenley added, "Don't let Agent Christopher see that smile. She might make you go anyways."

Rufus started to hobble out of the infirmary. "Thanks Doc."

She nodded and watched as Wyatt and Rufus exited. Tenley began cleaning up the mess when a knock landed on her door. She glanced up and saw the concern written on Christopher's face. "You got a minute?"

Tenley nodded. "What can I do for you?"

"I'd like you to check in on Flynn," she stated. "He's had a rough mission and he's not speaking to anyone."

"Rough how?" she questioned. When Denise refused to explain, the doctor asked, "What makes you think he'll talk to me?"

Denise replied, "I'd like you to try." She was about to head out but paused to add, "Consider this your first experience playing psychiatrist."

Tenley gave a slow nod that she understood, but didn't agree. She watched as Agent Christopher took her leave.

For some reason, Tenley found Flynn a bit intimidating, especially when he had something on his mind that he didn't want to share. She had patients like that before, and the best course of action was usually to leave them alone and let them come to her. This, unfortunately, wasn't acceptable. Agent Christopher was expecting her to speak to Flynn regarding the mission. It was eluded that it was personal to him, but she didn't know why.

She thought over what Agent Christopher had shared with her when she was first brought into this operation. She briefly mentioned that he had started all of this, but the details as to why were a bit hazy. She wondered if she could find the answers she was looking for online.

Tenley opened her laptop and waited for it to boot up. Once all of the start up screens were over, she pulled up the internet and began searching for 'Garcia Flynn'. Words popped up on her screen telling her that she didn't have access. Releasing a sigh, she realized that nothing she typed would allow her access. The firewall and restrictions set in place by Homeland Security would see to that.

She noticed her email had notifications. Taking a moment to open the email, she scanned through to see if there was anything pressing. Tim had emailed her back.

 _Thank you for replying. I almost wondered if I had the wrong email address. I am also well. What have you been up to? Would it be possible to speak to you?_

Tenley replied with a simple message.

 _Speak to me about what? Is everything all right?_

She pursed her lips, questioning whether or not she should ask if he was okay. It was the right thing to do from a human standpoint, but if he were to ask her about what she was up to, she'd have to either lie or dodge the question. She wasn't sure she was up for that. However, against her better judgment, she hit send.

Tenley decided to stop procrastinating and stood up from the computer. She headed for the door, but didn't even get to touch the handle before the door swung open. She withdrew from the door before it hit her.

Standing in the doorway was Flynn, almost on cue. She blinked up at him. _Maybe his ears were burning_ , she thought.

Flynn had held her gaze of shock. He hadn't expected her to be standing right there when he opened the door. He was about to apologize to her, but she asked, "What can I do for you?"

He sighed, raising his right hand. It was bruised, cut, bleeding, and stiff. "I was hoping you could wrap this up for me."

She nodded, motioning for him to enter and sit on the exam table. He sat down and waited in silence. He watched her from the periphery, waiting in anticipation for her to begin hounding him with questions, much like Agent Christopher had ordered her to.

Tenley pulled on her purple gloves and began opening up her swabs and bandages. She started examining the damage to assess how bad it was before she set to work on cleaning it out. She focused on her work and didn't ask him any questions.

The silence was beginning to weigh on him. He stated, "All right, Nine. Ask."

Her dark eyes flitted up to meet his. "What are you talking about? Ask what?"

He didn't hesitate. "I know that you've been ordered to try and get to the bottom of what happened out there." He watched her expression, hoping to gauge the truth from her, but again, she gave him nothing.

She shook her head, turning back to his hand. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I overheard Agent Christopher earlier," he admitted. "So, do us both a favor and don't lie to me." His voice was laced with anger, but to his credit, he was keeping from exploding on her when she wasn't to blame.

She replied, still working, "The way I see it, Flynn, is that if you want to talk about what happened out there on your mission, then you can talk - whether to me or someone else - but I'm not going to pry it out of you. Orders or not, that's not how I operate."

He blinked at her. He hadn't expected that kind of response. "Aren't you the least bit curious?" he goaded.

She shrugged, which told him she was uncomfortable. "It doesn't matter if I am or not, the point remains the same." She glanced up at him. "I'm here if you want to talk, but I'm not going to force you to do it."

There was another silence that fell upon them as she started to wrap his hand up. He found his eyes drifting down her neck towards the left side of her chest where the cut had been. He noticed there was no bandage there anymore. "How's your wound?"

She glanced up at him, saw where he was looking and replied, "Oh, that. It's fine." She took her gloves off, signaling that she was finished. "Thanks for asking." She tossed the gloves and other trash into the waste bin.

For the first time since meeting her, Flynn noticed for a second that something was on her mind - something that wasn't forced upon her, like trying to get answers from the team - but something of her own. He narrowed his eyes at her, concerned. "Are you okay?"

She raised an eyebrow at his question. "I thought I was supposed to ask you that."

He shrugged. "You seem troubled."

She pretended to think something over before saying, "No, not troubled."

He stood up and padded over to her. "Nine..."

Her laptop chimed behind Flynn. His brows narrowed in confusion, turning to see what had made the noise. His eyes fell upon the open laptop. Tenley had forgotten to close it down like she usually did, however, she was grateful for it still being on, as it kept her from having to discuss things with Flynn.

She cleared her throat. "Sorry, it's probably a work related thing...I should probably check it out." She took a step and stopped when she noticed he wasn't moving from his spot. "Unless you need something else?"

He took that as his sign to leave. He shook his head and left the infirmary, after a brief pause at the door.

Tenley hadn't moved from her spot until Flynn was fully out of her infirmary. Once he had left, she sat down in front of her computer. Before she had a chance to open her email, Lucy walked in.

"Oh," Lucy gasped. "Sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt."

"You're not interrupting anything," Tenley admitted. It was true, but the doctor was beginning to feel rather popular. She glanced at her computer screen to make sure nothing was up. When nothing of great import was on the screen, she met Lucy's gaze again. "What can I do for you?"

Lucy stepped closer. "I was wondering if you were able to get Flynn to open up about-"

Tenley held a hand up, stopping Lucy from continuing. "Let me stop you there. I'm going to tell you what I told Flynn and Agent Christopher." Lucy waited for the doctor to continue. "If anyone wants to talk to me about the missions, their feelings, whatever, I'm here to listen without judgment, but I'm not going to force you to talk about it. That's not why I'm here."

Lucy seemed taken aback for a moment. When she recovered her composure, she spoke softly, "We're just worried for him..."

"Worried how?" Tenley asked, matching Lucy's volume.

Lucy stepped closer. "You don't know what happened to him, do you?" When Tenley shook her head, Lucy stated, "This mission hit close to home for him. I think that Agent Christopher is a bit worried that he may react..."

"Like a human?" the doctor asked. She didn't know Flynn's full story, this she admitted several times, but she knew enough to understand that what Flynn did was out of desperation.

Lucy nodded, crossing her arms. "I'm concerned that he might relapse-"

"You're worried he might steal the Lifeboat and go out on his own again?" Tenley questioned. "Wreaking havoc wherever he goes...or is it whenever?"

Lucy chuckled. "I consider him a friend now, and I just don't want to see him do something extreme..."

Tenley nodded. She understood the fear. "I think everyone feels the same way. Just be there for him until he's comfortable speaking about it."

"And if he never does?" the historian asked.

Tenley shrugged. "Then there's nothing to be done about it. Everyone handles grief differently. This might be his way."

Lucy nodded slowly and started towards the door. "Thanks for listening."

The doctor smiled. "Any time."

Once she was alone again, she waited. She half expected someone else to come barging into her room again. When it was quiet, she sat back down in front of the computer, pulling up her email.

There was another new message from Tim. _I have been keeping busy with multiple trips in Europe and Asia; it makes me remember the good days with you. What have you been up to? Still working at that hospital?_

Tenley stared at the message for a moment. She sighed, hoping that he wasn't feeling nostalgic for the wrong reasons. She thought she had made it very clear to him back then that she wasn't interested in him romantically. She began to wonder if he was just lonely and in need of companionship - be it friendship or more - and if that was the case, she wasn't the right person for the job.

However, upon reading the email, he seemed to be catching up with her, seeing how she was doing and what she was doing nowadays; much like any old friend would do after a spell of silence. She felt like there was no real harm in replying. She wasn't delving into any big secrets, and as long as she didn't give any specifics away, she shouldn't worry.

She typed out her response. _That does sound busy. Where have you been lately? I too, have been keeping myself busy. I'm currently traveling, so I might not be able to reply as often as you may like._

She thought if she had said that she was traveling, he wouldn't pressure her to head his way or expect immediate responses. It would allow her more time to think of proper explanations to his questions if she needed to come up with an elaborate story. She hit send and shut the computer down this time.


	20. Bravely Forward

It had been well over four months since Tenley had been recruited by Agent Christopher. She started to feel more at ease living in the dingy, dark bunker. She had become close friends with Jiya and Lucy. She felt that even the guys were friends, but not quite as close as she had become with the girls. Tenley found that as time continued to go by, she was less intimidated by Flynn, though he still had his moments.

The group continued to hold their weekly game nights. On the rare occasion, Agent Christopher started to stay for one short game of something, but would stick to her routine of going home to her family. As Tenley had expected, playing the games had brought the team closer together; they were talking and joking with each other, and eventually, they started sharing more about their personal selves as time went on.

Rufus had retired his use of the crutches for his badly bruised leg, but still walked with a limp. It would still be a little while before it was fully healed, but he had made significant progress.

Flynn no longer sulked about the bunker since the mission to Munich. He mustered the courage to finally mention a few words about it to Tenley in passing. She kept to her word and didn't press him to elaborate. He could see that as he spoke to her briefly on the matter that she had given him her fully unabridged attention. She didn't ask questions, she didn't take notes. When he finished saying whatever he had to share, she nodded, but kept silent. He thanked her for being discreet. The only thing she had said was how she'd never share what was said with anyone - Agent Christopher included - unless she thought he'd be a danger to someone or himself. He agreed to those terms.

Mason had been tinkering with the Lifeboat - trying to tweak some of the modifications - and ended up slicing his hand open on some sharp components within. Tenley had patched him up, sending him on his way with orders to be more mindful. It wasn't until she had taken the supplies from her cabinet that she realized just how low they had gotten on medical supplies. She began to think back over all of the times she's had to use her stash - most of which she had taken from the hospital she worked at before her recruitment. She took an inventory of what was left and exited the infirmary to catch up to Agent Christopher before she left for home that evening.

Denise was walking down the corridor towards the bunker's exit when Tenley approached her. The doctor was holding a notepad in her hand. "Do you have a minute?"

Denise nodded. "What's on your mind?"

"I just finished patching up Connor," Tenley started.

"Patching him up? Why?" Denise asked, confused. Mason hardly ever did anything to cause harm to himself, unless it was his ego, then she felt he did plenty.

Tenley waved it off. "Something with the Lifeboat...anyways, I noticed after I finished with him that we are running low on supplies."

"What do you consider low?" she questioned. She wanted to make sure that if she sent the list of supplies the doctor needed that it was for just cause, not just because her inventory levels were lower than she'd like.

Tenley didn't blink. "Let's just say that if someone were to seriously hurt themselves, I might be able to patch them up once, maybe twice if I'm stingy." Denise was about to reply when Tenley interrupted her, "I can get the supplies, if you let me-"

Before she could finish her offer to get the supplies herself, alarms rang throughout the bunker. Agent Christopher let out a heavy sigh. She was so close to being able to go home, but now she was stuck here to deal with another time jump, courtesy of Rittenhouse.

Tenley followed Agent Christopher back to the main area. When they arrived, Jiya informed the group of when the Mothership had landed. "They're in Leeuwarden, Netherlands...1895."

All eyes turned to Lucy, whose eyebrows were furrowed in deep concentration. She shook her head. "I don't know..." She was struggling to think of what it could be.

Flynn finally sighed heavily. "Mata Hari." Everyone's eyes turned towards him. There were looks of confusion and curiosity as to how he knew what might be going on and not Lucy. He explained, "When she was a teenager, she answered an ad in the newspaper for a military man seeking a bride...all of this was before she became a double agent for the war." When he noticed everyone's eyes wide and full of impress, he admitted, "I had a crush on her when I was a kid...did a lot of research on her."

"Of course you did," Rufus muttered, voice teetering on the edge of being creeped out and disgusted.

Lucy nodded. "Yeah...it fits the date."

Christopher said, "Okay, then let's get going."

The regular team - Rufus, Wyatt, Lucy, and Flynn - headed to the Lifeboat. Once they climbed in and the hatch closed behind them, it wasn't long before they disappeared into time and space.

Tenley turned her attention back to Agent Christopher. "So...supplies?" Sighing, Denise turned to meet the doctor's gaze. She waited for the doctor to continue. "I can get the supplies. I just need you to give me clearance to head back to the hospital."

"To steal the supplies?" she asked, head tilted to the side.

"I was thinking we'd pay them for the supplies," Tenley suggested. "Beats waiting for the wholesaler to ship what we need to Homeland Security, then for us to pick them up or have them airdropped or whatever it is that you do," Tenley rambled.

Denise smirked. "You've seen too many movies."

"Maybe," the doctor replied with a smirk.

Agent Christopher sighed. "I'll let the hospital know and get you clearance to grab whatever you need. I'll come find you when you are able to go."

Tenley nodded and left for the infirmary to double check her supplies to make sure that she didn't leave anything off the list. If she was going back to the hospital for supplies, she wanted to make it a one stop shop because she didn't want to face some of her old co-workers.

 **1895**

The team walked the streets of Leeuwarden in search of who they believed to be Mata Hari. Rufus asked, "So, what is it that we're trying to do here?"

Lucy thought on what Flynn had stated back in their timeline. He had said that this was roughly when the girl would answer the ad in the paper looking for a wife for a man serving in the military. She said, "Well, if what Flynn says is accurate, then we need to find a newspaper and figure out where this meeting will take place."

As they walked the streets, they noticed that several shops in the area were closed down, some had signs plastered over the windows announcing bankruptcy or going out of business. Lucy had remembered that Mata Hari's family had suffered tragedy and bankruptcy before she was displaced with other family members. Lucy pointed to a newsboy who still had a couple of papers left. "Any of you have any coin?"

Wyatt spied a man begging for coin, passed out on the street corner. He approached him, bent down to tie his shoe, checking to make sure that no one was looking before he reached to the side of the cup where some coins had missed the cup. He stood up, feeling guilty for stealing from a beggar, but he shook it off. There was a bigger problem involved.

Wyatt returned to the group, holding up the coins. Lucy stood in shock that he had just stolen money from a beggar, but took the coins anyway.

Lucy walked up to the newsboy and traded the stolen coins for one of the few newspapers the kid had left. She carried it off to the side of the street where no one could overhear as they searched through the ads.

"What are we looking for anyways?" Rufus asked as he read through one page.

"Anything that might entice a young girl to marry," Lucy replied.

The four scoured the pages in search of the article that might provide some clue to where they'd find their target.

Wyatt announced, "I think I've got it here..." He placed the page lower so the rest could see. He began to read out loud, "Seeking a bride for Captain Rudolf MacLeod, currently serving in the Dutch East Indies. Virgins preferred. Send or deposit photo with Corporal Harbinger at Post 115."

"That's not creepy at all," Rufus muttered.

"So, let's find Post 115 and see if our girl has answered the ad yet," Flynn suggested.

"And that sounded just as creepy," Rufus added as he followed the team down the street in search of the Post.

It took the team longer than they had hoped to find Post 115. When they did, they entered the building. To their surprise, it was practically empty, aside from one man in uniform that sat in the corner, and the Postmaster who sat next to him. They were engaged in idle chitchat.

Lucy approached the men. "Excuse me." The men's eyes turned towards her. "I was wondering if you've had much success in your ad for the Captain's bride?"

The Corporal stood up, giving Lucy a good look over. He shook his head. "I'm going to be honest with you, darling...you're too good for that Captain scum."

Lucy's brows furrowed. "I'm sorry?"

"Normally, I wouldn't' say anything," the man admitted. "But he's not a good man, and you are far too beautiful to be subjected to his brutality."

"Oh, no," Lucy said, realizing what he was saying to her. "It's not for me." She turned to motion to the men behind her. "As you can see, I've got my hands full with men." The Corporal looked at the three men standing behind her. She added, "I'm actually looking for a friend...she said that she was going to turn in her photo, and I wanted to stop her from making a mistake."

"Oh, it'd be a mistake all right," the Corporal stated. He walked to the opposite end of the room. "What was her name?" He started to sort through the few pictures on his table.

"Margaretha Zelle," Lucy replied. Rufus looked confused when she said the girl's name. He turned to see Wyatt's and Flynn's reactions. When none was given, he turned his attention back to Lucy and the Corporal.

"There's no picture by that name for the Captain," he replied. He picked up a second stack and started to look through it.

"Please," Lucy started. "I need to find her..."

The Corporal raised a photo of a young woman. "She did, however, answer a different ad in the paper," he said, passing the photo over to Lucy. "She's on the short list for this client."

Lucy took the photo of young Mata Hari. It was taken of her right side, showing the angles of her face. Her skin looked smooth and clear, her hair was neatly bound into a twist behind her head, bangs barely covering her full dark brows and eyes. She was beautiful in this portrait. Lucy asked, "What was the other article she responded to?"

The Corporal answered, "It's about the same as the one for the Captain, but it pays, whereas the Captain didn't."

"You said that she was due to meet these people," Wyatt chimed in. "Where is she supposed to meet them?"

The man eyed Wyatt, Flynn, and Rufus before turning his attention back to Lucy. "You're very determined to find this girl...almost too determined..."

Lucy shook her head. "I already told you...I'm a friend of hers...she's going through a tough time right now and I need to make sure that she doesn't do something she's going to regret...like get married to an abusive alcoholic."

The Corporal laughed. "That's what I told her. That's also why I suggested the other ad instead." Lucy was practically begging the man at this point to tell her where he sent the girl. Instead of answering the question, he handed her the article. "Take this. That way you'll have all the information that I gave to her." The door opened behind them and two young women walked in. They were holding their photos for deposit. The Corporal added, "I hope you find your friend...but if you don't mind, I have a job to do."

He walked passed Lucy and the men, welcoming the young girls in, taking their photos and asking them a series of questions.

The team stepped outside of the Post and began to read through the article they were given.

"Wanted; Beautiful, young, able women in search of fame, fortune, and infamy. Must be willing to travel and enjoy adventure. Earn your weight in coin. Please deposit photo of self at Post 115 for evaluation or come in person to Harkum Theater. Further instructions will be provided upon arrival," Lucy read. She lowered the article from her face. "We better hurry. There's no telling what this really is..."

The team began to search for the Harkum Theater and Miss Zelle.

After asking around, the team had finally found someone who had managed to point them in the direction of the Harkum Theater. When they arrived, the building looked as though it had been condemned. There were boards barring the windows and doors; signs plastered all over the exterior informing people that the building wasn't in use.

"Now what?" Rufus asked, staring up at the building.

Wyatt took a step forward. "We check it out."

"I'm sorry," Rufus scoffed. "Have you seen the creepy horror film house?"

Wyatt blinked at his friend. "What if this is the place and she's in danger? We have to check it out."

Rufus grimaced at the thought, but reluctantly followed behind as Wyatt led the group forward.

The moment they climbed the short three steps up to the door, someone from within had opened the door. Standing in front of them was a bald Indian man with broad shoulders. He blinked at the group before tilting his head at Lucy. "Have you come to answer the article?"

Lucy hesitated for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Yes, I'm here for..."

"The audition?" the bald man asked.

"Yes!" Lucy exclaimed. "The audition...that's right..."

The man eyed the three men standing behind her. "This is for women only."

"Well, she doesn't go anywhere without her brothers," Wyatt started.

The bald man turned to Rufus. "Brother?"

Rufus shrugged. "From another mother."

Lucy quickly asked, "Is it possible that they accompany me? I mean, my family is just looking out of my safety."

After a moment's silence, the bald man finally sighed. "They can come in, but they stay where I tell them to."

"That's fine," she replied. The bald man started to lead them into the abandoned house. Lucy whispered to Rufus, "Seriously? Another mother?"

"I panicked," he admitted.

The bald man stopped outside a pair of old ornate double doors. He turned to address the group. "The men wait here."

Lucy nodded, turning to the three who appeared uncomfortable with her proceeding solo. Without knowing what or who was waiting behind the doors, they feared they were walking into a trap. She turned back to the bald man. "I'm ready to go when you are."

The man gave a curt bow before leading her into the room passed the double doors.

Inside, the theater was run down, practically gutted, but it had signs of it once being a beautiful building in it's prime. Lucy marveled at the delicate details in what was left of the paintwork. The cushions on the seats were once soft velvet that must have made your skin sing.

She turned her attention to the massive stage where women were lined up, awaiting further instructions. Lucy quickly scanned the group of women in line, until her brown eyes landed on a familiar face; Miss Zelle.

The young woman was more beautiful than her portrait had shown. Lucy understood why so many men, and some women, found the girl to be divine. Out of all the women on the stage, Miss Zelle was by far the most beautiful.

The bald man motioned for her to join the rest on the stage. When Lucy climbed the rickety stairs up to the stage, the man began, "Now that you are all finally here, I can begin to explain what it is that you are auditioning for." The women waited patiently and silently for him to continue. He paced as he spoke, "I have been tasked to train one of you to be a spy." The women glanced about the room, exchanging glances with one another. The man continued, "You will be required to undergo rigorous training - and only a few of you will continue onto the next part of the training, but for now, let us begin with questions, as I'm sure most of you have."

One girl raised her hand. "What kind of training is this?"

"I cannot even begin to explain that to you at this time," the bald man stated.

"Who are we going to work for?" another girl asked. "Is this part of the war efforts?"

The bald man suppressed a laugh. "Yes, but not for the war currently waging on."

"What does that mean?" another girl questioned. "What other war is going on?"

"One that would be too complicated to explain," the man replied. "But let me be clear, you would be traveling much further that just across the country..." his beady eyes sparkled, clearly hiding the truth.

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him. She started to wonder if this man was part of Rittenhouse or Bloodstone. She wasn't sure as he didn't seem to recognize any of them when they approached him; that or he was just that good of an actor.

The man stated, "I warn you now, some of your training will be quite..." his voice faltered for a moment before he finished, "physical."

One very timid looking girl asked softly, "What if we don't want to audition anymore?"

The man's eyes flared with anger. With a serious and dark tone, he replied, "Then you'll die." He eyed each girl, then lingered on Lucy. "Are you ready to proceed?"

The timid girl panicked. Regardless of the girls next to her, she wouldn't calm down. When she tried to bolt from the stage, the bald man casually withdrew a pistol, gunning her down.

The shots fired alerted Rufus, Wyatt, and Flynn who had kicked the door in, rushing the room. The bald man turned around, firing back at them.

Lucy and the other women ran for cover. Screams echoed throughout the once beautiful auditorium. Lucy's eyes turned to see the lifeless body of the timid girl who realized this wasn't for her. Blood had already started to pool around her.

Lucy took this moment, while the exchange of bullets was happening, to search the terrified faces of the girls, hoping to find Zelle. When her brown eyes met those belonging to the girl who would become Mata Hari, she noticed this girl seemed intrigued more than scared.

Careful not to attract attention, Lucy crawled over to her. "Are you okay?"

The girl nodded, eyes glued to the scene before them. "What is happening?"

Lucy shook her head. "You're in grave danger-"

"Why me?" the girl asked, turning her attention over to Lucy. "I'm no one."

"Not yet," Lucy mumbled. The girl didn't hear over the gunfire.

Wyatt managed to hit the bald man in the shoulder, causing him to drop the gun he was using. Flynn kicked the gun away from him, aiming his own at the wounded man.

Wyatt approached and asked, "Who are you?" The bald man sneered at Wyatt, refusing to answer.

Rufus saw the anger rising in Wyatt's and Flynn's faces. He looked at the wounded man and stated, "Now's not the time to be brave, Lex Luther."

The man sniggered, which confirmed to the team that this man was indeed from the future, much like themselves, but they still didn't know if he was part of Rittenhouse or Bloodstone.

"Who sent you?" Wyatt questioned. "Are you Rittenhouse or Bloodstone?"

Before the bald man could reply, three more men, well-dressed, burst into the abandoned auditorium. They began unloading their weapons at the three. Once the men had turned their attention to the more pressing threat of the three suits, the bald man fled.

Flynn shouted, "Wyatt!"

Wyatt glanced over his shoulder to see the bald man making a dash for the stage entrance. He chased the man. Wyatt rushed into the room, chasing the man, but failed to see the bald man swing an old brass stanchion. Wyatt crashed to the floor, his gun sliding across the old marble, disappearing into the darkened corridor.

The bald man dropped the stanchion and ran, cradling his wounded arm.

Wyatt, dazed from his attack, slowly sat up, blinking to allow his blue eyes to adjust. He searched the ground for his weapon. He could hear the battle raging on in the auditorium still between his team and the enemy. Panic began to set in when he heard the women screaming.

His eyes finally landed on his gun. Scrambling across the floor, he grabbed it and took off towards the same direction the bald man had disappeared down.

When he rounded the corner, the bald man was on the stage. Just as Wyatt took a step towards him, the bald man whirled around aiming his gun at Lucy, who was kneeling before the man.

Wyatt had suddenly realized that all gunfire had ceased. His eyes darted over to see Flynn and Rufus with their hands up in a defensive manner. They had been outgunned.

The bald man tilted his head at Wyatt. "You've been outsmarted this time."

"What are you going to do?" Wyatt asked carefully. He glanced at Lucy who seemed rather shaken.

The bald man replied, "We're going to take her with us...that's all we're really here for anyhow."

"That's not entirely true," the man standing behind Flynn shouted. "We're here for the other broad too."

The bald man rolled his eyes. "Yes. Okay. Fine." He turned back to Wyatt. "We originally wanted the other broad, but she's disappeared."

"But for what purpose?" Wyatt asked. "What does Rittenhouse want with her?"

The bald man laughed. "You think we're Rittenhouse?" The other men laughed. The bald man stifled his laughter. "You're naive."

"So," Wyatt began. "If you're not Rittenhouse, who are you?"

"You know who we are," the man replied. "The fact that you're more concerned with Rittenhouse shows you just how little you know about the war you've become involved with...who controls whom..."

Wyatt blinked at them, afraid of pushing them too far considering they had guns pointed at everyone.

The bald man grabbed Lucy's arm, yanking her to her feet. He started to walk away with Lucy, gun pushed into her side. "It's been nice knowing you... but we've got somewhere else to be."

Just as the men began to leave, a voice spoke up. "Wait!"

Everyone turned to see Miss Zelle standing up from her hiding place on the stage. She stood tall, unafraid. "I'll go with you, only if you leave the girl here with her friends; unharmed."

Lucy's eyes widened. She couldn't be serious about her offer. Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but the bald man pulled her arm, silencing her.

"Why would you?" the man asked. "You don't know what we are capable of, who we are-"

"I know that you were looking for someone to train as a spy," she began. "I want to trade my life for theirs and become your spy." The men exchanged glances, unsure as to what to do. She took another step forward. "What say you?"

The three by Rufus and Flynn had pushed them into one of the few chairs that weren't completely destroyed, trying them down. Once they finished, the bald man waved his gun at Wyatt. "Join your friends."

Wyatt hopped down off the stage and was immediately grabbed by the men waiting. He was tied to his chair, next to Rufus and Flynn. The bald man turned to Miss Zelle, stilling holding onto Lucy's arm.

Miss Zelle took a step forward, motioning to Lucy. "Let her go and I will come with you...without a fight."

The three men had rejoined the bald man on the stage. When the bald man released Lucy, he pushed her towards the back of the stage, causing her to trip and fall amongst the dead women who lay in a pool of blood.

Lucy whirled around to watch as Miss Zelle nodded her thanks to Lucy and followed the men out of the theater. Just as the group had left the auditorium, a gunshot echoed within the building, and smoke filled the halls.

Lucy jumped to her feet and rushed into the hallway. A massive fire had been started by the men as they left the building. She could see that they had fired a round into one of the oil lamps. The fire was quickly spreading across the desolate building, engulfing everything in it's wake.

Lucy rushed back to the auditorium and began to untie Wyatt. She announced, "There's a fire... we have to hurry before the building goes up in flames."

Lucy struggled with the ropes, but once she managed to free one of Wyatt's hands, he set to the task of freely his other hand, while she moved on to Flynn.

Rufus glanced over his shoulder to see the flames devouring the walls and doors that led out of the auditorium. "Uh, guys?"

Wyatt and Flynn had gotten free from their bonds and finished getting Rufus untied. The team rushed towards the exits, only to find the whole place was ablaze. Wyatt kicked a door in, finding a way to lead them out of the fire and into the safety of the street.

Passersby had stopped to watch the blaze as the old theater began a ball of fire. The team dissolved into the mass of people unnoticed.


	21. It Happened Late One Evening

Several blocks away, the team had stopped to rest and regain their breath. Rufus asked, "What was that all about?"

Lucy shook her head. "Why would she trade her life for mine? For us?"

Wyatt returned the gesture, unsure of what to say. He was confused. He muttered, "I'm more concerned with the fact that those men said they weren't Rittenhouse." He looked at the team. "So, are Bloodstone and Rittenhouse on the same team? Are they enemies? ... I don't know what to think anymore."

Flynn didn't have any more of an idea than Wyatt. All he knew for certain was that they had been running into Bloodstone men all along. They were always in groups of four, well-dressed men, who behaved like Rittenhouse sleepers. It made him question just how much of what happened to his family was really Rittenhouse versus Bloodstone.

Before anyone could dwell on the matter, Lucy suggested, "We need to find them and save Mata Hari before they kill her."

"How do you know they'll kill her?" Rufus asked. "Maybe they'll train her to be a spy, send her off to do...whatever she's meant to do..."

Lucy placed her head in her hands. "I don't know...I don't know anything anymore." She shook her head, lifting it up to meet the gaze of the team. "I can't even think straight. Usually, with Rittenhouse, it's pretty obvious what they are trying to do, but... now? Now, I'm grasping at straws to come up with ideas..."

The team felt her frustration. They couldn't blame her. Since being introduced to the whole Bloodstone group, which they still had zero experience or knowledge about, everything was muddled and a mystery. Nothing made sense. Even the jumps into history weren't making sense.

Unlike Rittenhouse - who usually jumped into history to alter it somehow in their favor - Bloodstone seemed more inclined to jump into time to throw the team off guard. They had to regroup and figure out who was behind the Bloodstone group; and fast.

The team had reluctantly started to search for the four men and Miss Zelle. They retraced their steps, and came up empty handed. No one had seen her or the men; if they had, no one was speaking up.

The team had no choice but to leave for home, defeated.

 **Present Day**

Tenley sat in front of her computer, reading the reply from her friend, Tim. He had been keeping busy, like he said, traveling to different countries to provide medical care for those who were not fortunate to enough to have any. She had replied in kind, expressing her admiration for all that he was doing, all that he had done, and wished that one day she could help out his cause.

Tim had kept the conversations light and friendly. The nature of his emails had convinced Tenley that all he was doing was catching up with her. She had replied to his emails with the same light nature, not giving any details as to what she had been up to. She was about to reply to his latest email when the alarms in the bunker began to announce the team's return. She stood up from her desk and exited her room to head towards the main area.

By the time Tenley had arrived to the main area, the team had already climbed out of the Lifeboat. The doctor did a quick scan of the team, noting that none of them appeared to be injured. It was a welcome sight to see for a change.

"You let them escape?" Christopher asked.

"I wouldn't say that we 'let' them escape," Wyatt pointed out.

Agent Christopher glared at Wyatt, giving him the lecture silently that he knew what she meant. His blue eyes shifted his gaze elsewhere.

"And what about..." Agent Christopher motioned with her hand, pleading Lucy to fill in the gap of their person of interest on this mission.

Lucy blinked at the gesture before realizing that no one in this timeline had any idea who they were sent back in time for. "Mata Hari."

"Yes," Denise said, pointing to Lucy. "What happened to her?"

Lucy's brow furrowed. "We don't know...they took her." Lucy took a moment before asking, "There's no mention of her in history books anymore, is there?"

Denise shook her head. "I'm afraid not."

Jiya asked, "What would Rittenhouse - or this Bloodstone - want with her?"

That was the question that no one could answer.

Flynn turned to Agent Christopher. "Have you found anything on your end regarding these people?"

Christopher turned her attention to him. "Nothing yet. We're still looking."

Flynn shook his head, turning to leave. "Look faster!" Tenley eyed Flynn as he brushed past her.

Denise sighed. "Get some rest."

The team walked off, leaving Tenley and Christopher alone. The two looked at each other, but never speaking a word. They didn't have to. They knew how hard this was going to impact the team.

A few hours had passed since the team's return and yet, the bunker was filled with silence.

Lucy had holed herself up in her room, searching her history books for anything on Mata Hari, Bloodstone, or anything she felt could be of use to them on their hunt to learn more on their enemy.

Wyatt, Rufus, and Jiya had chosen to spend their time watching DVDs to escape reality for a while.

Mason kept to himself in his own room, listening to his vinyl collection and reading his old notebooks, contemplating a new modification to his Lifeboat.

Agent Christopher had left for home.

Tenley sat in her room, reading and replying to various emails; the majority belonging to Tim. When a knock landed on her door, she glanced up to see Flynn entering.

"Busy?" he asked as he closed the door behind him.

She shook her head, closing her laptop. "No, what's up?"

He shifted his weight awkwardly before sitting down on her sofa. He sighed, sinking into the cushions. His eyes lifted back to meet hers. "I was thinking that it would be good to get to know you better."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

He smiled. "I just mean, you've been here for some time, and while you've shared some aspects of your life with the team...I feel as though I don't know you."

Tenley blinked at his comment. "There's not much to know."

"I find that hard to believe," he replied. "What is it that you do all day?"

"Nothing," she responded. When he raised an eyebrow at her, she sighed. "I inventory my supplies, I worry about how the team will be out on a mission and who will come back broken and bloodied. I answer emails, I-"

"Emails to who?" he asked, breaking her monologue.

She shrugged. "It's work related," she commented. "Boring stuff."

He studied her face for a moment. Finally, he broke the silence. "Why are you here, Nine?"

"I already told you," she stated.

He stood up, waving the comment aside. "I'm not asking you why you came, but why have you stayed?"

"I'm sort of obligated-" she started.

He shook his head. "No, you're not." He stood next to her at the table, peering down at her wide eyes. He leaned forward, hands on the table and the back of her chair, bracing his stance. "No one just disappears without reason."

She blinked, offering a small, sad smile before whispering, "We do."

"We?" he asked quietly.

She nodded. "Every one here has disappeared from the world. So, I guess you could say that we all disappeared without reason." He was about to retort when she slid off her chair, standing up, opposite from him. "That's what the world would say." She straightened herself. "It's all a matter of perspective."

His eyes never left her when she stood up, but his posture was still leaning over her chair. He slowly stood erect and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why are you being so mysterious? What are you hiding?"

"Who says that I'm hiding anything?" she questioned.

He was about to speak when another knock landed at her door. The two turned to just in time to watch Rufus and Wyatt entering. When the two men entering saw Flynn inside, their expressions changed.

"What can I do for you two?" Tenley asked.

The men blinked their attention back to the doctor. "Uh...we thought we'd see about having a game night tonight...since...we're all here not doing anything," Rufus stated, slowly returning his gaze back to Flynn. "Unless we're interrupting something?"

"No," Tenley interjected. "Not interrupting anything." Flynn was about to speak up to the contrary, but she added, "I think game night could be fun." She turned her attention back to Flynn. "What do you say, Flynn? Play a few rounds of Dominion?"

Flynn gritted his teeth, but nodded. He had nothing better to do and he hoped that by playing the games, he might be able to get her to open up more. He had questions and concerns that needed to be answered. She just didn't seem to be willing to discuss them.

Tenley motioned to the stack of games. Wyatt and Rufus carried them out to the main living area. When Tenley turned her attention back to Flynn, she noticed that he had been staring at her laptop. She was about to ask him what he was thinking, but he turned his gaze back to her, smiled, and left the room.

The doctor made a mental note to change her passwords on her laptop and to start locking it in a cabinet.

Game night in the bunker wasn't the success they had hoped for. Accusations of cheating were tossed about, fights over rules had resulted in games being thrown to the floor, much to the chagrin of Tenley. Tempers were hot and fuses were short. Most of the team had stormed off to their respective rooms to calm down, leaving Tenley, Mason, and Jiya very confused.

"What just happened?" Tenley asked, staring down the corridor of the bunker as the angered team left.

Mason shook his head. "I haven't the faintest idea..."

Jiya stood up with a handful of game pieces, placing them on the table. "I should probably see if I can't calm them down."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Mason asked. "You might not survive their wrath..." Tenley nodded in agreement.

Jiya shrugged. "I know that they're upset about their last mission not being successful, but there's something else going on..." she glanced between the doctor and Mason. "Right?"

Tenley shrugged in return. "I guess?"

Jiya gave a short nod before leaving the main room. Mason turned his attention to the doctor. "Sorry about your games..."

Tenley smirked. "Thanks..." she started to pick up the pieces, organizing them into the correct boxes. "Maybe I should have asked for games like Life or Sorry."

Mason cocked his head to the side. "Why? So we can argue about how we're not sorry for sending someone 'Home'?" When Tenley chuckled, Mason smiled. "I think once this failure blows over, everyone will be back to their normal selves."

Tenley met his stare. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because I've had my fair share of failures," he admitted, adverting his gaze. "I'm speaking from personal experience... this will blow over and when it does, it will be as though this never happened."

Tenley offered him a kind smile. "Thanks Connor. I appreciate it."

He smiled, helping her with the rest of the cleaning up before heading to bed.

Tenley stacked the games on the table. She glanced at her watch. It was relatively early in the evening for a game night. They usually ended their game night in the early morning hours before the sun rose, but today, with all of the fighting, it was still late evening.

The doctor turned towards the kitchenette and began to scrounge for tea and a snack. When people stormed off from the table, they took food with them, leaving not much left behind.

As Tenley scavenged around for food, Flynn had decided to return to the main living area. He cleared his throat, causing the doctor to whirl around, startled. He raised his hands up defensively. "Sorry."

She shook her head. "Oh, it's okay...I just didn't hear you."

"Looking for something?" he asked.

She sighed. "I was, but it seems that we don't really have much in the way of snacks." She closed a drawer and added, "Or food in general."

"Agent Christopher should be restocking our pantry tomorrow morning," he stated. When she nodded, almost disappointedly, he asked, "Can you keep a secret?" She furrowed her brow at him, slowly nodding. He approached her, reaching over her head to the back of the top shelf. He removed a box of water filter replacements. He held it before her proudly. Tenley stared at the box, completely confused. Flynn opened the box, showing her the contents within.

Inside the box wasn't what Tenley thought. Instead of filters, like the box proclaimed it to be, it was filled with different snack cakes. Tenley's eyes grew wide with astonishment, flitting up to meet his amused gaze. Her mouth hung open. "Wha-"

He took one out and examined it. "As long as you keep this our little secret, you can have some..." he saw her eyeing the cakes and added, "Just don't eat them all."

Tenley had finally regain her composure. She chose one snack cake and held it. Looking at it, she finally had to say what had jumped into thought the moment she saw the box filled with them. "You don't strike me as a guy who enjoys Ding-Dongs..."

Flynn closed the box, replacing it on the top shelf where he stashed them. "Iris loved them," he admitted. "She used to beg for them in her lunchboxes every day." His face had softened as he remembered her. His eyes lifted to hold Tenley's gaze. He cleared his throat. "I was never a fan, but I get them because it reminds me why I'm doing what I'm doing."

Tenley offered him a kind, yet sympathetic smile. She whispered, "I'm not trying to pity you, but I really am sorry-"

He cut her off. "I know, and I actually should apologize for how I reacted that day-"

"Oh, no," she interjected. "It's okay-"

"But it's not," he quickly added, cutting her off. "For that, I'm sorry."

The two held each other's gaze for what seemed like an eternity. Tenley felt the familiar heat that emanated from Flynn's body as it began to wrap around her, her nose was filled with a faint sandalwood aroma; a scent she personally loved. She could feel the color in her cheeks rising.

Flynn hadn't noticed, until now, just how many different shades of brown her eyes could be, depending on her mood. He recalled the time she had been on the mission with them - how when he finally tracked her down in that frozen forest, the setting sun had changed her eyes into amber pools reflecting the sunset. Now, in this light, her eyes were almost a mix of honey and chocolate. He had never experienced eyes as beautiful as hers.

Just as Flynn took a step towards her, head leaning slightly forward, Tenley cleared her throat, standing straighter. The motion had caused Flynn to retreat from her. She blinked up to his softened gaze. "I should probably," she started to say, as she motioned to the stacks of games, "put those away."

She brushed passed him, heading towards the table. He quickly said, "Well, we could always play a round or two of Dominion." When she turned to face him, he added, "If you're up for it."

She smiled. "Sure...okay." He approached the table as she started to pull the game out from the stack. "Just as long as you don't cheat."

He looked at her offended. "I don't cheat."

"Says the man who buys five witch cards," Tenley pointed out.

He laughed as he sat down, placing the stack of games onto the floor next to him. "I just really enjoy cursing people."

Tenley let loose a hearty laugh, one that Flynn hadn't heard from her yet. She genuinely seemed to have loosened up around him. He chuckled as he helped her set up the game.

The two played several rounds of Dominion, which lasted well into the early morning. They hadn't seen anyone else in the bunker during that time. Flynn was thankful to have had the uninterrupted time with the young doctor. As they played round after round, they talked and they began to open up to one another more. He felt like he was beginning to understand her, piecing together who she was and why she had agreed to live in a bunker - giving up her whole life in the real world.

When they finished playing the game, he helped her pick up the cards to put into the box. He picked up the stack of games from the floor and offered to help her carry the games back to her room; she had accepted the help.

As they walked, they continued to talk and laugh until they reached the infirmary. Tenley set her stack of games onto the floor where she always kept them and turned to take the ones from Flynn, but he had already started to set them down for her.

He stood up next to her. She smirked, shaking her head, thinking over the night she had spent with him. His face had softened, smiling warmly at her. Tenley had noticed that his features were so much more likeable when he wasn't brooding all the time; he was rather an attractive man when he wanted to be friendly and warm.

The two stood in silence, gazing into each other's eyes before Flynn broke his gaze by looking at his feet, almost awkwardly. "I should ... uh, I should go," he stated quietly, motioning to the door.

She nodded slowly. Part of her wanted him to stay in her room and talk a while, but she knew that it was late. They both had work to do in the morning - well, she had work to do in the morning. She replied in barely a whisper, "Okay." She headed to the door to let him out. She reached for the handle of her door, just as he had at the same time.

Their hands met on the knob, and they both froze. Tenley felt her heart racing as she glanced up to meet his eyes. He was studying her reaction. Neither one of them had pulled away at the sudden contact with each other. Instead, Tenley stated, "I had a lot of fun tonight..." he nodded and she added, "Thank you for that. I'll see you tomorrow."

He released his hold on the doorknob and stepped back, allowing her to open the door for him. "Goodnight, Nine."

"Goodnight, Flynn," she whispered back, watching as he padded away from her room.


	22. Decision On The Dock

_Ding!_

Tenley was woken by the sound of her laptop chiming. She groaned as she sat up on her couch. Glancing at her watch, she realized just how late into the morning it was. She rubbed her face, waking herself fully before standing up and padding over to her open laptop.

She thought for a moment about whether or not she had left the laptop out and signed in. She couldn't remember. Shaking her paranoia aside, she looked at the screen. She had several unread emails. She pulled the chair out and sat down to look them over.

There were several work related emails, some medical journal newsletters, and two from Tim. She sighed. She didn't want to deal with those at this moment.

She made sure to log out of all of her accounts, closing the laptop down, and carried it over to her supply cabinet where she placed the device inside. She locked the cabinet and slipped the key on top of her shelf.

As the doctor made her way to the main living area for coffee, she mulled over her actions with her computer. Something wasn't sitting well with her over it. She didn't like the idea of someone going through her things. She was beginning to question her level of trust with those in the bunker, if someone were responsible, for her things. It could also just be that she had forgotten about it until this morning. She didn't want to jump to any conclusions.

In the main living area, everyone was already there, doing what they normally did in the morning. Breakfast was over, but they were still sitting around discussing the meltdowns that took place the night before.

"Tenley," Jiya said, giving her a small wave. "What'd you end up doing last night?"

"Oh," Tenley started as she began to pour coffee into a clean mug. "I played Dominion with Flynn."

"Really?" Lucy asked, seemingly surprised by the answer.

Tenley turned around and noticed everyone's eyes were on her. "Yeah," she said awkwardly. "We decided to play a few rounds."

"I figured that after the fights last night, no one would be in the mood for games," Lucy replied. "Had I known you guys were playing, I would have stuck around."

Tenley nodded, but was secretly glad that no one else joined them. She enjoyed her alone time with Flynn. Her eyes quickly scanned the group; Flynn wasn't up yet.

"So," Wyatt asked, sipping his coffee. "Who won?"

Tenley blinked at him. "Oh, he did. Of course."

"Witches?" Rufus asked. When Tenley nodded, he added, "He loves to curse people, doesn't he?" Tenley smiled, chuckling.

When Flynn finally arrived into the main area, Wyatt said, "There's the man of the hour."

Flynn furrowed his brow at the comment, scanning the group to wait for an explanation. Rufus stated, "We heard you beat Tenley."

Flynn's wide eyes darted over to an amused Tenley, who clarified, "Dominion."

When he nodded, relaxing from his initial reaction of being accused of physically harming the doctor, he replied, "Ah, that."

Rufus added, "Seriously man, you know there are other cards on the table other than the witch, right?" Flynn smiled as he drank his coffee. His eyes glanced over to see Tenley. They exchanged quick, knowing smiles at one another.

Agent Christopher walked around the corner, carrying a couple of paper bags. Wyatt noticed first and took them from her, which she immediately thanked him for doing so. She looked around the group and asked, "How are you?"

The group nodded, exchanging their good mornings with her. Jiya and Tenley began putting the groceries that Denise had brought with her away. When Tenley saw the box of Ding-Dongs, a smile crossed her face. She placed them in the cabinet behind some other boxes of food for Flynn.

Agent Christopher turned her attention to Flynn. "I'm afraid that your afternoon is going to be somewhat frustrating." He furrowed his brow at her. She asked, "Do you remember when you were stabbed in prison?"

The mention of this caused Tenley to turn around and listen in. This was news to her. He hadn't said anything about being stabbed, let alone being incarcerated.

Flynn nodded and Denise continued, "Well, we have a few documents that we need to handle together."

"What documents?" he questioned. He thought that Homeland Security had already taken care of all of this months ago.

Tenley tried to listen in, but Wyatt and Rufus came over to start looking at the food that was brought in, drowning out the conversation.

The doctor could see that Flynn was already annoyed and Agent Christopher was doing the best that she could to try and keep him from getting too worked up.

To make matters worse, alarms began to sound within the bunker. Flynn scoffed, angered that this was coming at the worst possible moment. He knew that he'd be unable to go on the mission because of some stupid documents that the government needed him to handle.

Jiya rushed to the computers, sitting down at the console. She rapidly punched some buttons before staring at the screen. She announced, "They've jumped to Charleston, South Carolina...June 14, 1838."

Lucy narrowed her brown eyes, giving some thought to the date. Suddenly, her face lit up as the answer came to her. She glanced about the group and said, "The Pulaski disaster." She saw blank stares and explained, "The Pulaski was a steam packet that exploded and sank off the coast of North Carolina. 128 people died that night."

"What's the significance of this? Was there anyone important on board?" Agent Christopher asked.

Lucy gave a half hearted shrug. "I mean, there were some influential people, but they had retired from their work...so...not really."

"Well," Denise started. "We still have to check it out." She pointed to Rufus, Lucy, Wyatt, and then stopped when she remembered that she needed Flynn. "Who else?"

Lucy cleared her throat. "I think that..." she quickly eyed Tenley out of the corner of her eyes before finishing, "I think Tenley should come with us."

Tenley's eyes grew wide. "What? No..." She looked over at Agent Christopher who was ready to approve the request. She cut her off before she could agree. "No! The last time I went on a mission, I was kidnapped and...and...terrible things- No!"

Denise gave her a sympathetic glance before saying, "I think it would be prudent that you go. If there are people who are in need of medical assistance, you should be there."

"But-" Tenley tried to object again. She saw that it was pointless. Her eyes landed on Flynn, who also wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of her going on the mission, but Tenley chalked it up to his desire to go over her. If she could switch places with him, she would in a heart beat.

"You better get going," Denise stated. "Be safe."

Tenley scoffed, feeling like a child who was being dragged to an event they didn't want to go to. She reluctantly climbed up the steps to the Lifeboat and sat down in the chair, securing the straps. She knew the drill, even though she had only traveled once through time. She couldn't bring anything with her, they'd find clothes when they arrived on the other side, and from there, they'd have to 'wing it' and save the day. She hated that last part.

The hatch closed behind the team and once they were strapped in, the Lifeboat disappeared from their timeline.

Flynn watched as the Lifeboat disappeared. He had a feeling that something wasn't right about this mission. It was a gut feeling that something horribly wrong was about to happen. He hoped he was wrong.

 **1838**

The second jump through time was much easier on Tenley. She didn't have near the reaction this time as she did before. She actually kept her morning coffee down.

The team managed to secure a change of clothes to fit in with the times. Lucy had begun filling them in with what she remembered about this ship and the sinking. "There's an explosion that happens on the starboard boiler, somewhere around 11pm, and it damages the ship so much that it starts sinking immediately. It took 45 minutes to sink."

"So, not the Titanic," Rufus muttered.

Wyatt asked, "You said there were important people on board?"

Lucy shook her head. "I mean, there were, but none that I think we would be concerned about..."

"Like who?" he pushed her for more information. He wanted all the facts so he could at least have the knowledge should things turn out to be much different than they thought.

Lucy said, "Of the ones who died, there was former Congressman William Rochester from New York, The Lamar family, including five of their six kids, plus their niece." She paused, clearly thinking before adding, "There were two survivors that were pulled from the water that had fallen in love and eventually married...Miss Onslow and Charles Ridge."

"Are they important?" Wyatt asked without tact.

Lucy shrugged. "I don't know, Wyatt. I'm giving you the facts, like you asked."

Tenley finally had to ask. "So, what's the plan here? I mean, are we seriously going to climb on board a boat that is going to explode and hope we don't die in the process?"

The thought of being on a boat caused Lucy to pale. Tenley noticed her reaction and wondered if there was some history to Lucy and water. She didn't pry but left that in the back of her mind for later.

Wyatt stopped them as they spotted the town. They could see the ship in the harbor. He asked, "What if we tried to keep the ship from setting sail? If it doesn't launch, it doesn't explode, and people don't die, right?"

Lucy nodded. In theory, that's what would happen, but they didn't know the motivations behind why Rittenhouse or Bloodstone was here. She was about to say so when Wyatt suggested, "Then let's keep this boat from sailing."

Reluctantly, the team followed Wyatt's lead as they headed into town. The people in town were happily chatting about the beautiful steamer that sat at the ready. Those who were boarding the ship for her maiden voyage were excitedly talking about it.

When they arrived to the docks, there were several armed police officers keeping gawkers at bay. Wyatt turned back to the team. "How do we do this?"

Lucy shook her head. "I doubt that we can just waltz up to the officers and say, 'oh, by the way, we know it's going to explode 30 miles from North Carolina'."

Wyatt was about to retort but Rufus asked, "What if we were to try and find the sleepers now? Stop them from boarding the ship?"

"That's assuming that they're even here for the ship," Tenley pointed out. "We don't know why they're here. It could be that they hope we board the boat in hopes of killing all of us - get us out of the way."

Wyatt nodded. "I had thought of that, but I was hoping I was just being pessimistic."

Rufus rolled his eyes but stayed quiet. When he turned to look at the steamer again, his eyes fell upon a familiar sight. "Uh, guys?" When the three turned to see what he was staring at, they saw four well-dressed men in suits standing on the deck of the Pulaski. "Seems like they're here for the boat."

Wyatt turned back to the team. "We need to get on that boat."

"How do you propose we do that?" Rufus questioned. "None of us have tickets, nor the money to buy tickets."

"We wouldn't be able to buy tickets, even if we wanted to," Lucy mentioned. "They've been sold out for months, most likely."

Rufus motioned to Lucy as he looked at Wyatt, almost as if to say 'see?'. "So, what do we do?"

Wyatt said, "I'll be back. Stay out of their sight." He motioned to the boat when he said 'their', which told the others that he didn't want the suits to see them.

Lucy watched as Wyatt headed into the local pub. "Where is he going?"

Rufus shook his head, but motioned for them to move off the street and out of the open. "I don't know, but let's get out of here. Figure something out."

Tenley glanced over her shoulder, back at the steamer as they left it. She felt eyes on her. It was the same feeling she had when they were heading to the Douglass farm. All of the hair on her body stood at attention. She was on edge and on guard. She refused to be kidnapped again.

The three found a spot off to the side of the street, across from the pub that Wyatt had entered. They began to talk amongst themselves about what they should do moving forward.

Wyatt had exited the pub and Rufus said, "We have movement."

The girls glanced up and saw Wyatt approaching them, a big grin on his face. When he joined the group, he showed them two tickets, proudly saying, "I've got us two tickets for the Pulaski."

"What?" Lucy asked, grabbing the tickets from his hand. "How?"

Wyatt, still grinning, admitted, "I won them in a poker game."

"Okay, Jack Dawson," Rufus joked.

Tenley's head whipped around to Rufus. "You've seen Titanic?"

Rufus shrugged. "Kate Winslet, naked? Why not?" Tenley smirked, shaking her head at his admittance.

Lucy handed the tickets back to Wyatt. "So, what now?"

Wyatt suggested, "Since we only have two tickets, I was thinking that you and I-"

Lucy shook her head. "No..."

"No, what?" Wyatt questioned, confused to why she wasn't willing to come with him.

Lucy explained, "I can't get on that boat..."

Tenley realized that Lucy had experienced some kind of traumatic experience involving water. She didn't need to know the specifics, so she stammered, "I-I think it's better if I go on the boat." Lucy met the doctor's gaze, silently thanking her for volunteering. Tenley added, "If the boat explodes, then I should be the one there to help with first aid...besides, Lucy would be better at getting the officials on the ground organized to do a rescue operation."

Wyatt glanced between the women, realizing that something was happening, but he shook his head. "Maybe we shouldn't get on the boat at all-"

Lucy turned to him. "I think Tenley's plan is the way to go." Before he could continue to protest, she said, "Rufus and I can get the officials here, like Tenley suggested, organized and outfitted for a rescue run. You are better off going on the boat and trying to stop them from doing...whatever it is that they plan on doing."

Wyatt didn't seem thrilled. He sighed, eventually giving in. "This is crazy, you know that?" When the team didn't add anything more, he asked, "Okay, so, tell us what we need to know. What time does this thing blow?"

Lucy began to fill them in, once again, on the facts as they knew it to be. The ship would set sail towards Baltimore. At roughly 11pm, the starboard boiler would explode. Lucy explained that when the explosion happened, a few passengers and crew were killed immediately, but there were several who were still stuck inside, some who were thrown overboard, and there were a few who managed to get to the lifeboats. She mentioned that the ship sank 45 minutes after the explosion. "Make sure that you keep track of the time," she warned. "Don't go to the starboard side of the boat and don't go inside."

Wyatt nodded and looked at Tenley. "Ready to go?"

Tenley shook her head. "No, but let's get this over with."

Wyatt stopped next to Rufus and whispered, "Don't be late."

Lucy had hugged Tenley, whispering in her ear, "Thank you." Tenley smiled warmly at her, knowing she would be told the story later, but for now, she had to focus on staying alive on the boat that was doomed to sink.

Wyatt and Tenley watched as Rufus and Lucy headed towards the police and fire stations to try to tell them of the ship's impending doom. The two turned and headed to the docks, tickets in hand. Wyatt whispered, "Just stick close to me. Don't do anything unnecessary."

"Trust me," Tenley admitted. "I'm no hero."

They stopped in line, waiting for the crewman to take the tickets from the boarding passengers. Wyatt asked, "Why did you volunteer to come if you're afraid of these things?"

"Afraid of what?" she asked. "Missions?"

"Sure," he said. "Let's start there."

Tenley shrugged. "It's not like I had much choice in the matter, if you recall. Flynn wasn't able to be here, so I'm his stand-in."

Wyatt chuckled. "I'd prefer your company over his any day."

She turned to him as they took a step forward on the docks. "What's your deal with him, anyways?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to feign innocence.

Tenley cocked her head in disbelief at him. "Please," she stated. "I've seen the way you two interact. There's bad blood there. I just don't understand why."

Wyatt was about to answer when the crewman motioned them forward. He took the tickets, glanced them over before looking at the two of them. He smiled, handing the tickets back. "Have a good trip, Mr. & Mrs. Moore."

The two smiled at the crewman before stepping onto the steamer. Once on board, Tenley asked, "Now what?"

"We look for the sleepers," Wyatt suggested. "It could be that we can see what they're up to." He grabbed her elbow, tugging her to the crowd of people on deck. He whispered, "Just keep an eye on your watch and remember what Lucy said; stay away from the starboard side of the boat, and be on deck before 11pm."

Tenley admitted, "Remind me which side is starboard?" When Wyatt blinked at her, she said, "I always get confused as to which is port and which is starboard."

Wyatt sighed. "Starboard is the right side... easy way to remember for me; port is a four letter word, so is left."

Tenley smirked. "That's a good one, I like that."

Wyatt returned the smirk. "Just keep the time in mind."

"Wait," she began. "You're not leaving me alone, are you?"

"We need to find the sleepers," he stated. "We should split up and cover more ground."

"I'm not Flynn," she reminded him. "I don't have a weapon. I don't know how to defend myself...I'm a doctor, not a soldier."

Wyatt suppressed the urge to laugh at her Bones McCoy reference. He sighed. He was suddenly wishing Flynn was here instead. "Fine, you're right." He glanced about the deck, searching for the suits they had spied earlier. He didn't see them in the crowds. "Come on, let's look below decks."

Tenley's heart began racing. She didn't want to go below deck. The thought of the ship blowing up was on her mind and it terrified her. She followed Wyatt reluctantly.


	23. Drifting

On shore, Lucy and Rufus began their trek to the police and fire stations. Rufus asked as they headed for the police station, "What are we going to tell them?"

Lucy shook her head, still walking with purpose. "I don't know yet. Maybe tell them that we saw suspicious people boarding the boat?"

Rufus blinked at her. "You and Flynn have the worst plans..."

She stopped and glared at him. "Do you have a better idea? I'm all ears."

He thought for a moment. "Why not tell them the truth?"

"What? That we're time travelers?" she rebutted.

He shrugged. "I was thinking more on the ship than us..."

Lucy sighed. "I'm not even sure they'll believe us on anything..."

Rufus continued walking down the street. "We'll do what Flynn does."

"What's that?" Lucy asked, falling in step with him.

"We wing it," Rufus suggested.

"Wing it," Lucy repeated. "Oh, yeah...nothing wrong with this plan."

When the two arrived at the police station, the police officer at the desk had looked up from his paperwork. He eyed Rufus suspiciously before turning his attention to Lucy. "May I help you?"

Lucy cleared her throat. "Hello, yes. Uh... I was wondering, is the chief in?"

The man blinked at her. "He is, but he's in his office. Perhaps I can be of assistance."

Lucy glanced over at Rufus before turning her attention back to the man before her. "We have reason to believe that the Pulaski is going to sink."

The man glanced between the two, brow furrowing. "Why do you say that?"

"Well," Rufus began. "We've...seen...stuff - and things." He kicked himself internally for sounding like Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead. He added, "There were men boarding who we had overheard talking about possibly blowing it up."

The police officer's eyes widened at what Rufus had said. Even Lucy had turned her head over to look at him. She couldn't believe that he had said that. She felt like she was paired with Jiya all over again, saying things that would make their part of the mission all the more awkward and uncomfortable.

Instead of scolding him, she turned her attention back to the officer and smiled, almost annoyingly. "So, you see? We really need to talk to him...preferably before the ship sails."

"It's too late for that," the officer stated. "They're already shoving off."

Rufus's eyes grew wide. He turned to look out the window. Sure enough, the Pulaski was leaving the docks. He whirled back around to the man. "We need to stop them. You need to stop them!"

"I'm not going to do any such thing," the officer stated. "Now, if you'll come with me, I'll need your statements."

Lucy sighed, shaking her head, knowing they were going to be detained for a while. She was suddenly wishing that Wyatt was with her.

They were escorted into a small room, most likely their interrogation room, where the officer waited with them. "Now," he began, pulling a pad of paper from his breast pocket. "Start from the beginning."

Back on the ship, Wyatt and Tenley walked the halls of the decks. Tenley asked, "What are we looking for?"

Wyatt shook his head. "Anything suspicious."

"Like us?" she jested. Wyatt glanced over his shoulder at her, clearly unimpressed with her sarcasm. She asked, "Wouldn't it be better if we were to ask around? Talk to the passengers, like other normal passengers would? Blend in?"

Wyatt sighed. "We don't have time for that."

"And we have time for a wild goose chase?" she asked, stopping in her tracks. Wyatt turned to face her. She said, "We don't know what we're looking for. People usually have something to say when they see something out of place. We should start there."

Wyatt seemed frustrated. Tenley knew that he would have wanted anyone else with him on this side of the mission. She couldn't blame him. Her only experience with missions was helping Frederick Douglass be born. Not to mention, she had been mistaken for Lucy and kidnapped. She'd rather be anywhere else than on a doomed ship being useless.

To his credit, Wyatt understood where the doctor was coming from. He remembered how it was with Lucy. She had been just as scared during her first several missions. He tried to be reasonable and understanding. He suggested, "Why don't you head up to the decks and see what you can find out from the passengers, then? I'll join you when I'm done down here."

"Where are you going to go?" Tenley asked before agreeing to his plan.

He shrugged. "Lucy said that it was the boiler that exploded...it's a good place to start."

"But," she protested. "That puts you below decks with the problem of the ship...if that thing blows when you're down there-"

"I won't be," he interrupted her. When she gave him a disbelieving look, he said, "I won't."

She slowly nodded, knowing there wouldn't be anything she could say or do, short of going with him, to change his mind. "Be careful."

He gave a curt nod. "You too."

Tenley watched as he headed to the service door. She felt pangs of regret for splitting up. She turned and forced herself to head back up to the main deck where the majority of the passengers would be. She gave a quick glance at her watch. 7:45pm.

Wyatt found the boiler room. It was loud and hot as he forced himself to explore deeper into the room. He did a quick check on his gun, which was safely holstered on the inside of his coat. He cautiously walked around the corner, spying the crews working on the boilers. He scanned the area, hoping to see anything that might be out of place. Then his blue eyes landed on what he had hoped to find.

Standing on a platform, overlooking the boiler room and it's crew, stood a man in a black suit. Wyatt followed the gaze of the suited man down to the main floor, where he watched two other suited men by the starboard boiler. He squinted as he focused on them, trying to see what they were doing.

He was careful to stay hidden, but he knew that there was another suit somewhere on the boat. He quickly glanced about the boiler room, hoping that the man was somewhere with him and the other three, but unfortunately, he didn't see the fourth. He feared for Tenley.

Up on deck, Tenley tried hard to blend in with the dancing crowd of passengers. She stuck out like a sore thumb as she didn't have a partner. She stood in the corner of the ballroom, hoping to see someone she might have success in talking to.

As her eyes scanned the room, she spied some elderly women sitting down at a table, whispering to each other, drinking wine. She smiled as she watched them gossip. She started over to their table. One thing Tenley knew for certain, older women loved to gossip. The more people to share the gossip with and the juicer the gossip, the better.

She approached the table. When she neared, the women looked up at her, smiles widening. "Are you here to join us?" one asked.

Tenley suppressed a laugh. "If you'll have me."

The women motioned to a chair, which Tenley sat down promptly. The first woman asked, "Did you see that horrible red number on that skinny girl over there?" Tenley glanced quickly over to the area where they were staring. She saw the girl they were talking about; the girl looked sickly, as if she had some sort of ailment. The woman continued, "I think that's a horrible color for her." Tenley found herself trying to diagnose the girl just by looking at her, something that was impossible to do.

"It appears that someone has taken an interest in you, my dear," the second woman stated, nudging Tenley's arm.

When Tenley blinked her concentration away from the sickly girl to where the woman was pointing, she saw a well-dressed man watching her. He smiled warmly at her.

"He's handsome," the first woman replied. "If you don't do something about him, I certainly will."

"Oh, Martha," the second chortled. "You're impossible!"

"What?" Martha asked. "He can be husband number five."

The man started his approach over to them. He stopped in front of the table and bowed. He extended his hand out to Tenley. "May I have this dance?"

Tenley hesitated. She stammered, "I-I can't dance."

The man chuckled. "How about a walk on deck, then?"

Tenley wanted to make up an excuse. She hadn't had the chance to ask the gossip twins about any suspicious behaviors on board. Before she could retort, Martha started to push her from her seat. "Of course, she'll go for a walk! It's lovely out!"

Tenley stood up, forcing herself to smile politely and take the stranger's hand. _What would Flynn do?_ she thought to herself as the man led her out to the night air.

They stepped out into the chilly night air. Tenley walked with the man to the back of the ship. He asked, "Are you here alone?"

"Uh," Tenley stammered. "Actually, I do have someone here with me, but he's retired for the evening..."

"That's a shame," the man admitted. During a moment of silence, he said, "I'm Jack."

Tenley smiled. "I'm..." she paused. She couldn't tell him her real name. She released a embarrassed chuckle. "I'm pleased to meet you."

"Not going to tell me your name?" he asked, raising an amused eyebrow.

She replied, "Mrs. Moore." She decided to use the name on the ticket, keeping with the facade that she entered the ship with.

Jack's smile faltered. "I thought you were teasing me about your being with someone."

Tenley shrugged. "'Fraid not."

Jack sighed. "He's a lucky man."

The doctor furrowed her brow at him. "Why do you say that?"

"He has you," Jack admitted. Tenley offered a small soft smile. He admitted, "It's hard to find someone when you're at sea most of the time."

"What do you do?" Tenley asked with genuine curiosity.

"I'm the first mate on board," he replied. "The Captain told me to go to the party and acquaint myself with the passengers." Tenley studied his face for a moment. She felt a lump in her throat when she remembered that she still had a job to do. She wondered if he was one of the many souls that would be lost when the ship sank. He saw the wheels spinning inside her head and asked, "Are you all right?"

Tenley took a shaky breath in. "Actually," she began. "There's something I have to ask you..."

Jack listened intently to her as she asked him several questions about the ship and her passengers. He had admitted that there were some individuals that he thought seemed out of the ordinary, but didn't see them after they boarded. "Should I be worried?"

"Maybe," Tenley admitted. "Is there any way that you can get the ship closer to the coastline?"

Jack shot her a quizzical look. "I could, but why would I? What aren't you telling me?"

Tenley whispered, "We're what? 40 miles from the coast?"

He nodded. "Give or take a few miles."

"Then we need to get closer to the coast if more people are to survive," she muttered.

"Survive what?" he asked. He was holding her arms, trying to get answers to his unasked questions. He had many of those. One thing he knew for certain, just by looking at her face and into her dark eyes, something was going to happen - something terrible. "Tell me what I need to know."

There was a fight within her mind. She wanted to tell him what was about to happen, but she feared how it would impact the timeline. She had already said too much as it was. She sighed. _What would Flynn do?_

Wyatt waited quietly in his hidden spot in the boiler room until the suited men left. When it was clear, he approached the boiler where the men were tinkering. He bent down, looking at the recently removed panel on the boiler. Upon pulling the cover off, he saw the blinking lights of modern technology flashing at his face.

Hidden away from any wandering eyes was a bomb. Wyatt was careful as he examined it. He knew that even trying to dislodge it from it's nestled resting place could cause it to blow up in his face. He wasn't a bomb disposal technician; he wasn't about to tempt fate.

He quickly replaced the panel and decided that the best course of action was to find the doctor and get the boat to shore now.

He exited the boiler room, thankful for the cooler air that engulfed him. He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead as he headed up the service stairs to the main decks.

As he walked down the hallway to the dance hall where the party was still going, he glanced at his watch. 10:15pm. They were desperately running out of time.

When he reached the room with the party, he began scanning the crowd, hoping to see Tenley. She wasn't to be found. Panic started to set it. He had only laid eyes on three of the four suits. He worried that she might have been captured by the fourth. There was no saying for sure.

He exited the room, walking onto the deck outside. His eyes glanced about the few people on deck, when his eyes stopped on the familiar frame of the doctor. She was talking with a couple of men inside the bridge. He waited, unsure if she was in danger or not. He needed more information before he went barging in on her conversation.

Tenley's eyes glanced over and landed on him. She nodded, motioning him to join them in the bridge.

Wyatt rushed up the few steps, arriving into the bridge. He closed the door, and Tenley said, "Let me introduce my husband, Mr. Moore. He's a private investigator."

"I've heard so much about you, sir," Jack politely said. "Your wife has been filling me in on your suspects and what they plan to do."

Wyatt didn't have a clue what she had said, but he smiled. "Well, we're doing the best that we can."

"If there is anything I can do to be of assistance-" Jack started.

Wyatt cut him off. "There's a problem with your starboard boiler." Tenley and Jack's eyes widened in fear. Wyatt continued, "We need to get these people into the lifeboats now."

"We can't dump them into lifeboats now," Jack stated. "We're too far from the shore, and besides that, it's too cold." He glanced between the two and asked, "What's wrong with the boiler?"

"Do you want their blood on your hands?" Wyatt hissed.

Jack furrowed his brow. "Look, I believe you, but I'm already going to be in trouble for changing course and getting us closer to shore." He glanced over his shoulder before bringing his attention back to the two. "Besides, there's not enough room in the lifeboats for everyone...you'd cause a panic."

Wyatt sighed heavily. He was frustrated. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Jack thought for a moment. "Is there any way to fix the boiler?"

Wyatt shook his head. "I don't know. If there is a way, I don't know how."

Jack exchanged looks with the two before saying, "I'm going to see if I can talk to the boiler crew...see if we can't find a way to speed up the ship - get us closer to the shore before anything happens."

Wyatt nodded and suggested, "You might not want to say anything about the boiler to anyone else."

Jack nodded back, understanding the reasoning without being told. When Jack left the bridge, Wyatt turned his attention to Tenley. He asked, "You told him?"

Tenley shrugged. "What was I supposed to do?"

"You're lucky Lucy isn't here right now," he mentioned.

"Why? Because I told him what was going to happen to the ship? Alter history?" Tenley rebutted. Wyatt gave her a disapproving look. She added, "It's not like we had any choice..."

Wyatt couldn't argue with that. They had no idea that there would be a bomb in all of this. He filled Tenley in on what he had discovered. He explained that the bomb could even obliterate the entire ship and they wouldn't have a chance to get off the boat before she sunk or exploded.

Tenley asked, "What do we do? How do we stop this?"

Wyatt ran a hand through his blond hair. He was running out of ideas. Tenley could see it on his face too. Wyatt looked at the doctor. "We have to get the people off this boat. We're running out of time."

Tenley nodded in agreement. "How do you propose we do that? We're not exactly in shallow water."

Before Wyatt could reply, the ship jerked suddenly. The jerking motion of the ship caused Wyatt to crash into Tenley, knocking them both to the floor. The second the two hit the floor, a massive explosion was heard within the lower decks of the ship. The ship shook violently before the starboard side of the ship blew up, showering the ocean with debris and bodies. Terrified screams were heard all around them.


	24. A Truth Whispered At Night

Meanwhile, Rufus and Lucy sat in the interrogation room of the police station. Rufus asked, "Do you think Wyatt and Tenley have had much success?"

Lucy shook her head. "Let's hope they've done better than we have."

Suddenly, they heard commotion outside their room. The two exchanged glances. Rufus muttered, "This can't be good."

The police chief threw the door to their room open. He motioned for them to follow him. "Come. Hurry!"

The two didn't hesitate. They stood up and exited the room behind the chief. Lucy asked, "What's happened?"

The chief explained as they started out of the building into the night air, "There's been an incident." He turned to eye the two before saying, "Just like you said, the Pulaski is in trouble."

"How do you know?" Rufus asked. Last he heard, the ship was too far from the shore to have been seen when she went down.

The chief motioned them to climb into the carriage. "Witnesses on the shore where you said the ship would sink, saw an explosion nearby. We're heading that way to assist the survivors. I figured you'd like to be there too, since you know so much about what's going on."

"Of course," Lucy replied. "Any way that we can help..."

As they rode in the carriage towards the last known place to have seen the ship, Lucy had looked at her watch. 10:34pm. She nudged Rufus, showing him the time. The two didn't need to say any more. They knew that something had happened as history had been altered already.

They just prayed that they wouldn't be too late for their friends.

The carriage ride to the shore where witnesses saw the explosion seemed to take forever. Lucy and Rufus were starting to get antsy.

The chief looked at the two of them. "Is there anything else that you aren't telling me that I should be made aware of?"

"What?" Rufus muttered. "You believe us now?"

The chief wasn't amused. "Put yourself in my shoes. Would you believe you if you were me, and I walked into your station, claiming to have knowledge of a terrible disaster?"

Rufus gave a half shrug. "Maybe."

"You wouldn't," the chief pointed out. "You'd think that I was crazy." He turned his gaze onto Lucy. "Like I assumed the two of you to be." He glanced out the window of the carriage. "There's the ocean. In a few more miles, we should be arriving to the shore." He turned back to the two. "Anything else?"

Lucy bit her lip before saying, "If you have access to boats, you might want to send them out to meet the survivors. They most likely didn't have time to get the lifeboats ready."

The chief took in her advice. He asked, "How bad is it going to be?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. I wish that I did."

It wasn't much longer, like the chief said, before they arrived to the shore. It was a small stretch of beach, with high cliffs encasing it, tall trees surrounding the area. It was almost like a paradise hidden away on the coast; blink and you'd miss it completely as it was that secluded.

When the carriage had stopped, the chief immediately began barking orders to his men and the men from the next town. Everyone had taken off to fulfill their orders.

Lucy and Rufus stood in awe as they could see the ship on fire in the pitch black night. The ship hadn't sunk yet, but it was most likely getting close. Rufus asked, "What do we do?"

"We wait," Lucy replied. There wasn't much they could do except hope that Wyatt and Tenley had found a way to survive.

After the first explosion had happened on the Pulaski, Wyatt and Tenley tried to help get the lifeboats into the water, alongside the crew that had survived the initial blast.

As the first boat was safely in the water and ready to be filled with survivors, Wyatt glanced up to see the three suited men that he had spied in the boiler room looming over them. They had withdrawn their firearms, aiming it down at them.

Wyatt shouted for everyone to get down. He pushed Tenley towards the safest place he could see; the bridge. The suits had fired their weapons at the crewmen, killing them. Once the coast was clear, they descended from their perch and jumped into the lifeboat, pushing away from the sinking ship.

Tenley rushed to the side of one of the crewmen. His wound was seeping blood quickly, and she was unable to keep him alive despite her best efforts to help him.

She was about to head to the next crewman when Wyatt stopped her. "They're all dead!" he shouted over the noise. "Leave them! We have to hurry!"

"What about the passengers?" she asked, motioning to the hysteria that was taking place on the deck. "We can't just leave them!"

Wyatt gritted his teeth. He wanted to help them just as much, but there was still the unaccounted for suit that they hadn't found yet, the ship was still sinking, and he was afraid that there might be another explosion from within.

Tenley glanced up from the dead crewman that she had tried to save and saw the sickly girl from before. The girl was terrified, clinging to the handrail of the steps leading down into the dance hall. Tenley inhaled deeply, standing up from her spot, and with determination, ran towards the girl. Wyatt protested her actions, but she didn't stop until she reached the girl.

Once the was before the girl, she bent down to her level. "Let me help you," Tenley offered, hand reached out.

The girl grasped Tenley's hand. "Thank you!"

Tenley helped the sick girl to her feet. The two turned around and were face to face with a disappointed Wyatt. Wyatt sighed, glancing quickly at the sick girl. He understood why Tenley did what she did, but he knew that this girl was most likely supposed to die in this disaster. They were altering history. _What would Lucy say?_ he thought.

Wyatt managed to get a lifeboat in the water with the help of another passenger. He lowered the sickly girl into the boat along with a few other passengers. Once the boat was filled, he ordered them to push off.

They watched the boat float away from the ship, filled with grateful people. When they started to head towards the next lifeboat, they saw Jack. Jack waved to them, clearly happy to see them.

"I'm so happy to see you two!" he admitted. He was soaked to the bone, cuts on his face.

"What happened to you?" Tenley asked.

Jack replied, "I was heading to the boiler room when the initial explosion happened. I managed to get myself off the lower decks before they flooded out." He looked at the lifeboat he was standing next to. "This lifeboat won't survive the water. Too much sun damage."

"We should set it in the water anyways," Wyatt suggested. "

"It will sink," Jack stated. "What would the point of wasting our time setting it in the water?"

Tenley turned to ask Wyatt a question when another explosion rocked the ship, sending them flying. Wyatt caught himself on the railing, but Jack and Tenley both crashed into the ocean.

Wyatt shouted, "Tenley!" He held on as the ship rocked underneath him. He stood up straighter, trying to lay eyes on Tenley, but he couldn't see anything in the dark water.

Darkness and cold enveloped Tenley. There was no sound, no light. Tenley opened her eyes. It took her a moment to realize that she was underwater. She kicked with all of her might to get to the surface. It was a challenge to get herself to the surface as the skirt to her dress was tangling around her legs, keeping her underwater.

Panic was setting in, but she knew that she had to keep calm if she were to survive the ocean. Just when she thought she was going to pass out under the ocean's surface, she felt hands grab her, pulling her to the surface.

Gasping for air, she quickly reached out to grab the debris before her. Her legs felt heavy as the dress was sucking to her body. She steadied her breathing before turning to see who had saved her.

It was Jack. He studied her, clearly concerned for her well-being. "Are you all right?"

She nodded, feeling the water dripping down her face. "Thanks to you." She glanced around but didn't see the ship or lifeboats. There was no sign of the disaster having taken place. "What happened? Where are we?"

"The current's carried us a ways," Jack admitted. "We should be drifting towards the shore soon."

"How do you know?" she asked, turning her attention back to him.

He smirked. "I am only a sailor..." She chuckled uncomfortably. He reached out, giving her a gentle, reassuring squeeze on her arm. "It's going to be okay."

Tenley nodded aimlessly. She worried about Wyatt; did he survive? She worried about the people they saved, the suited men that attacked them and blew up the ship, she even worried about what Flynn might say should she survive long enough to make it home.

Tenley lost track of how long they had been floating in the water. It felt like an eternity. She was beginning to feel her eyes getting heavy with exhaustion.

"Look there!" Jack practically shouted, startling her awake. "There's the shore!" When Tenley turned to look, she saw the dark trees on the shoreline. Jack stated, "We should make for the shore."

Before she could protest his suggestion, as she was remembering the skirt that was clinging to her legs, he had already pushed off the debris, swimming towards the coastline.

Saying a quick silent prayer, Tenley followed after him. Swimming, as she assumed, was proving to be quite the challenge. She was falling behind Jack and losing sight of him.

The energy that it took for Tenley to swim to shore had exhausted her by the time she reached the safety of the shore. She collapsed onto the ground, breathing in hard as she tried to rest. The night air chilled her to the bone, now that she was out of the water.

Propping herself up onto her elbows, Tenley looked around. There was no sign of Jack. She was alone on the shore. She began to fear that maybe Jack didn't survive the swim to the shore after all.

"Tenley?" a familiar voice whispered. The doctor glanced over her shoulder to see a dark silhouette approaching her. When the person knelt down beside her, she was ecstatic; it was Wyatt.

"You're alive!" she coughed, sitting up with his help. "How?"

Wyatt examined her quickly to see if she was okay as he answered, "I was pulled into one of the lifeboats...are you okay?"

She nodded. "Jack saved me."

"Where is he?" Wyatt questioned, glancing around the area. Tenley shrugged. He nodded as he said, "I'm going to scout up ahead and see if I can find a road or something." He took his coat off, draping it around her shoulders. "Stay here."

"What?" she asked. "No-"

He motioned for her to stay put as he stood up. "It's safer for you to wait here for me."

"And be separated again?" she complained.

Wyatt tried to reassure her. "Listen, the sooner I can figure out where we are, the sooner we can get out of here." Tenley wanted to protest again, but Wyatt ignored her, running into the darkened woods, leaving her alone.

"Nothing good ever comes from being separated," she muttered. "Haven't you ever seen a movie?"

The winds had begun to pick up. Lightening was starting to flash across the black sky. The waves in the ocean started to get choppy.

The chief began exchanging words with another man. Lucy watched them speak to each other. She looked at Rufus. "I think we're in for some bad news."

As the winds continued to pick up, thunder began to echo around them. After a few close cracks of thunder above their heads, causing them to flinch, the chief approached them. He shouted over the increasing winds, "We have to pull out of the bay. The storm's getting to be too severe. We risk losing our own rescue boats if we try to stay out there!"

"Please," Lucy begged. "Just a little longer..."

"I'm sorry," he replied. "I do wish we could keep at it, but this storm is worse than we realized. We are going to continue our efforts on the shore to look out for survivors as the tides roll in."

The chief gave a sympathetic look as he started to head to his crews, ordering them to call the search over.

Rufus placed a gentle hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Well, at least the ones who had gotten into the lifeboats made it to shore."

Lucy shook her head. She wanted Wyatt and Tenley safe. At this moment, she couldn't give a damn about the survivors that had made it to the shore. She just wanted Wyatt.

The two watched as the rescue crews began to approach the harbor. Lucy scanned, once more, the survivors that sat waiting nearby. She was hoping that maybe she missed them, but when she didn't see them, her heart fell.

Lucy's eyes did fall upon a young woman in the group of survivors. She had an ailing appearance about her. Lucy knew that a girl like that wouldn't have made it to the lifeboats without some kind of assistance. She headed over to her.

The girl glanced up just in time to see Lucy approaching her, with Rufus trailing close behind. She blinked at them. Lucy asked, "How are you?"

The girl shrugged. "I'm all right, thank you for asking."

Lucy could tell the girl didn't know why they were talking to her yet. She began, "I was wondering if you could tell me if you had seen my friends on board the ship before it sank." The girl waited and Lucy continued to describe Tenley and Wyatt.

The description of Tenley caused the girl to smile and nod. "She helped me into the lifeboat. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for her. She saved my life!"

Lucy smiled at the girl. "Do you know what happened to them after you got in the boat?"

The girl thought for a moment. "I saw them on the boat as we rowed away, but then I saw the explosion...and then, I lost sight of them." The girl saw their faces fall, and she added, "I think they fell overboard before the ship sank completely."

It gave Lucy just enough hope to believe that the two had survived. She smiled warmly at the girl again. "Thank you for your help. Keep warm."

"If your friend is still alive," the girl began. "Thank her for me."

Lucy nodded and walked away with Rufus by her side. Lucy admitted, "I believe they survived. They had to have...we just need to find them."

"So," Rufus began. "What do you want to do?"

Lucy glanced along the shore. She watched the crews working on sifting through the debris as it was washed ashore. Sometimes, the crews pulled garments or luggage from the water. "We should head down the shore. Maybe search further up the way." She motioned towards the woods where the crews hadn't begun looking.

Rufus nodded and they started to head out, wrapping their coats closer to themselves as the winds picked up even more.

Waves crashed against the rocks that Tenley sat upon. She clutched Wyatt's jacket closer to her. Thunder roared in the sky causing the doctor to flinch as it rattled her insides.

Finally having enough of waiting around, Tenley stood up carefully. The soaked dress was pulling her down, but she managed to walk in a way to avoid getting it tangled around her legs. She headed to the place she last saw Wyatt as he entered the darkened forest.

The storm picked up in activity. The trees rustled as the winds bent the branches. Tenley feared being in the woods as the storm grew. Some smaller branches were already being snapped off the trees, falling to the ground.

Willing herself to focus on the task at hand, Tenley scanned the woods. She picked a direction at random and started to head that way. She hoped she would run into Wyatt.

After a few minutes of walking, she glanced up to see a figure walking before her, losing them within the trees. "Wyatt!" she shouted over the wind and thunder.

She chased after the figure, continuing to shout after him. "Wyatt!"

She got to the place she had seen the figure, but no one was there. There wasn't any trace of someone being there. She turned around, still shouting for Wyatt.

Thunder boomed around her, the wind wrapped around her, threatening to knock her off her feet. When the wind dissipated slightly, she tried shouting again, hearing her own voice disappear within the storm.

Tenley heard snapping behind her and feared a tree might be coming down. When she whirled around, she was face to face with a disheveled Jack.

She gasped. "Jack! You're alive!"

He didn't acknowledge her comment but instead approached her. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. He whispered into her ear, "Your mother sends her regards."

Tenley furrowed her brow. She pulled away to look him in the eye when she felt the sharp burning sensation sear her lower abdomen on the right side.

Blinking down at Jack's hands, she noticed the gun; she hadn't even heard the blast. Her eyes drifted down to her side. Blood was already pooling out of the wound he had inflicted upon her. She managed to lift her eyes to meet his one last time before collapsing onto the forest floor.

The rain started to fall onto her face. It had started as a sprinkle, which suddenly turned into a downpour. Thunder and wind continued to drown out any attempts for calling out for help.

Tenley held her side as she laid on the ground, trying to keep pressure on the wound, but she was feeling tired. She blinked up at the storm that loomed overhead. This was not how she had envisioned dying.


	25. Distant Thunder

**A/N: Thank you ashleyliening for all of your reviews. I'm happy you're enjoy the story. I hope you continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

Lucy and Rufus walked along the shoreline, searching for clues as to whether or not their friends had survived the Pulaski disaster. The shoreline was littered with debris from the ship. There was little else that had washed ashore.

Rufus shouted to Lucy over the storm, "We should head back!"

"Not until we find them!" Lucy replied, determined.

Rufus sighed. He understood why she wanted to see this through, but with the storm getting worse, all they were accomplishing was the potential to hurt themselves. He also knew that there wasn't much he could say to dissuade her from doing what she had so clearly set her mind to.

When the storm was beginning to become too severe, Rufus suggested, "We should find some shelter!"

Lucy was about to agree when she spotted a man running down the darkened road towards them. Rufus saw her attention was fixated on something; he turned to see what had captivated her. The two watched as the individual neared.

The moment the man was in view, and with the help of the lightning that illuminated the night, they saw that it was Wyatt. Lucy released a happy gasp, running towards him to meet him halfway. Rufus followed close behind.

Lucy embraced Wyatt the second she was in range. He held her against his chest, heart pounding from his run. He released her, giving Rufus a quick hug before asking, "What are you guys doing here?"

"Looking for you and Tenley," Lucy stated. She glanced about, not seeing the doctor. "Where is Tenley?"

Wyatt said, "I told her to stay put until I could find help."  
Rufus raised an eyebrow. "You told her to stay put?" When Wyatt seemed confused, Rufus added, "And she listened?"

Wyatt thought for a moment. She most likely didn't listen, like Rufus implied. He sighed. "Okay, I'll go back for her and you guys find us a ride home. I want to leave this all behind us."

"Wait," Lucy said. "What happened out there?"

Wyatt quickly explained, "They were responsible for the disaster." He didn't specify on who 'they' were. He wasn't sure if it was Rittenhouse or Bloodstone, but all he knew for certain was that the boat might not have ever sank without their interference. He began questioning moments in history, moments like this, where you grew up thinking history happened one way, only to discover that what you were taught was the result of time travelers.

He turned and started back down the road to where he had left Tenley. He hoped she had listened to his order to stay put, otherwise, he'd have to scour the darkened woods for her.

 _Your mother sends her regards._

The words echoed within Tenley's mind as she lay there bleeding out. She knew that stomach wounds inflicted by gunshots were essentially ticking time bombs. If it wasn't treated in time, she would lose feeling in her limbs, start to hallucinate, before she bled to death. Time was crucial. Right now, time was not on her side.

She could feel herself weakening. She was already drained of energy from her swim to shore; not to mention the fact that she had survived a sinking. Her pressure on her wound was beginning to loosen, allowing the blood to seep out more.

The rain was starting to let up from a heavy downpour, turning into more of a light rain. The winds were easing up, the thunder was more distant. What Tenley feared was that maybe the storm hadn't moved on, but that she was losing her hearing, which would make her situation and chances of survival even more slim.

Footsteps approached her rapidly. She couldn't bring herself to look. She feared it might be Jack coming back to finish what he had started. When the footsteps stopped suddenly next to her, she felt hands on her body. She turned her tired gaze over to see a terrified Wyatt looking down at her.

"Tenley?" he asked. "What the hell happened?" She couldn't speak. He tried to move her hand, but she wouldn't budge. He looked down at her. "You have to let me look." He moved her hand aside, assessing the damage. He wasn't a medic, but he knew enough to know that she was running out of time. He replaced her hand on the wound, pushing her hand firmly into her side. He stated, "You have to keep pressure...okay? Can you do that?" When she gave a small nod, he picked her up and started back to where he had come from. "Just hang on, Tenley. We're going home."

 **Present Day**

The Lifeboat landed with a clank in the launch room of the bunker. The hatch opened slowly, but the people inside moved quickly. Wyatt was carrying Tenley, and they exited first. He shouted, "We have to get her to the hospital!"

The team who stayed behind seemed shocked to see the group in the state they were in. Agent Christopher asked as she watched Wyatt descend the steps with a passed out and bleeding Tenley in his arms, "What the hell happened?"

Wyatt shook his head. "There's no time! We have to get her out of here!"

"We need to get her out of those clothes first!" Lucy stated. When all eyes turned to her, almost accusing her of being unreasonable, she admitted, "Unless you want the hospital to question why she's in period clothing, soaking wet, with a modern day bullet wound, then we should get her out of those clothes!"

Agent Christopher turned to Lucy. "We can do that on the way. Get her some clothes from her room."

Flynn came around the corner, eyes following a terrified Lucy as she ran passed him. When his eyes landed on the scene before him, his mouth fell open. "What the hell-"

Agent Christopher cut him off. "We're taking her to the hospital."

Lucy returned with fresh clothes for the doctor. She handed them to Denise as they began to quickly head down the corridor. Flynn stopped Wyatt. "Give her to me."

"I got her," Wyatt protested. "This isn't the time for-"

"Damn it, Wyatt!" Flynn growled. "You're not dressed for this time period. The hospital staff will be calling the police-"

"You don't know that-" Wyatt began.

"It's hospital procedure!" Flynn shouted back. "The more normal everyone looks, the better Agent Christopher can lie about what happened."

Denise glanced between the two. "Give her to him. We have to go."

Wyatt reluctantly handed Tenley over to Flynn. He watched as Denise and Flynn ran down the hallway towards the car so they could get to the hospital.

Flynn drove as fast as he could down the abandoned roads towards civilization. He glanced in the rear view mirror, back where Denise was holding onto Tenley. He watched briefly as Denise was trying to remove the period clothing from Tenley. It was proving to be challenging.

Flynn reached into his pocket, careful to not lose too much speed while he did so, to remove a large pocket knife. He flicked it open, passing it back to Agent Christopher. "Here."

"What the hell am I supposed to do with that?" Agent Christopher questioned him as she took it from him.

His eyes darted back to the mirror. "Cut her out of those clothes if you have to."

Denise nodded, understanding his meaning. She began to carefully slice through the dress she was wearing. "How much longer?" she asked as she continued to rip the dress off.

Flynn shook his head. "I'm going as fast as I can." He wished that the car would go faster. He wished that they were able to do an airlift to the hospital, but most importantly, he wished that they would get to the hospital in time. He knew that she was almost out of time. She had lost a lot of blood. She had grown pale and slightly chilled to the touch.

It wasn't much longer before they pulled up to the Emergency Room doors. Flynn slammed the car into 'park', throwing his door open. He raced around the side, opening the back seat door. His eyes landed on a partially naked Tenley, covered in blood, laying on the backseat. He grabbed her, carrying her into the ER, leaving Agent Christopher to deal with the car.

As he rushed into the room, he shouted, "We have a gunshot here!"

Members of the hospital staff raced forward to help. He placed her on the gurney that was brought over. He tried to go with them, but they stopped him. His eyes lifted up to see a couple of officers approaching him. He worried what they might ask of him. He was genuinely happy when Agent Christopher suddenly appeared next to him, flashing her badge.

Flynn didn't hear anything that was said. He focused on the gurney Tenley was on. His eyes didn't leave her until they wheeled her back into the operating wing. He turned his worried gaze back to Agent Christopher.

She had just finished explaining an elaborate tale about Tenley being in the field training when another agent's firearm misfired, striking her in the abdomen. She agreed to do all the necessary paperwork required.

Flynn paced as he waited to hear any news on Tenley. Agent Christopher had finished her paperwork, and was waiting patiently with Flynn. She watched as he paced in the room.

"You're going to wear a hole in the floor," she pointed out.

He rolled his eyes. "How does something like this happen?"

"How does what happen?" she asked, unsure what he was referring to.

"Why are we here? Where was Wyatt in all of this?" Flynn spat. "I should have gone on that mission instead of her."

"Then it could be you in that room instead," she pointed out.

He shook his head. "No, that's not what would have happened, and you know it." He turned and locked eyes with her. "You know that to be true."

Denise sighed heavily. She had considered the possibility. "She's a tough kid," she stated. "I think she'll come out of this okay."

Flynn clenched his jaw. He wasn't saying she wouldn't. He was angry that she was put in this position. He felt sorry for the doctor. Her first mission out, she was kidnapped; her second mission, she was shot. Either the kid had the worst luck out of anyone he knew, or something else was happening.

He shook the questions from his mind and turned his attention back to Agent Christopher. "What have you learned about this Bloodstone?"

Denise blinked at the question. "We're not having much luck, to be honest." When Flynn scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief, she added, "We have found a few strange instances regarding that name, however."

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"There were a few interviews with death row inmates that have stated they were hired to do the crime by an organization who referred to themselves as Bloodstone," she stated. Flynn's eyes narrowed. She continued, "When asked more about this group, the inmates refused to say more; almost as if they were afraid of something." Flynn listened intently as she spoke the details that she knew.

So far, they could safely assume that this organization had access to the Mothership. They also knew, based strictly from missions lately, that they were working with Rittenhouse. From what the team had told Agent Christopher, there always seemed to be four well-dressed men traveling back in time, so that told her that they had a vast number of people within their ranks.

Adding in the information from the prisoners' interviews, they had money that they were giving to people to carry out some pretty dastardly deeds.

Flynn pointed out that these Bloodstone people seemed pretty fixated on Lucy. Tenley had been mistaken once already for Lucy. It wasn't confirmed, but if Tenley had something to share when she woke up from her surgery, it might help them better understand what they were up against and they can form a plan to help prevent something like this from happening again.

Flynn felt his blood boiling when he thought about all that Rittenhouse had done to him. He shook his head when he realized that Rittenhouse seemed like a docile kitten compared to the things that Bloodstone was capable of.

He began to form a plan secretly in the back of his mind; one that would involve getting up close and personal with either Rittenhouse or Bloodstone agents. He was hoping to run across Emma. He believed she'd talk if he forced her to. The more he got to thinking about her, the more he realized that he hadn't seen her for a while - not since Dorothy Lawrence.

Before he could continue to fixate on his plan, a couple of people walked into the waiting room they were sitting in. Agent Christopher immediately recognized the doctor as he stepped through the doorway. It was the same man that she saw smoking outside with his friend - the same one that had confronted Tenley before she left the hospital.

The doctor glanced between Flynn and Agent Christopher. When his eyes landed on Christopher, he blinked a couple of times - almost as if he didn't believe her to still be around. "I'm Dr. Vargas; I'm the attending surgeon." He tore his steady gaze from Agent Christopher to the brooding Flynn. He tensed. Flynn shifted in his spot, causing the doctor to become uncomfortable. The doctor inched closer to Agent Christopher as he continued, "She's in Recovery now, but I have some questions for you."

"Whatever I can do to help," Denise replied.

The doctor glanced at Flynn out of the corner of his eye. "Perhaps we should speak in private?"

Flynn was about to object, but Denise nodded, giving him the silent lecture behind her eyes. "Of course." The two exited the waiting room, Flynn watching the entire time.

The moment the two were out of his sight, Flynn left the waiting room in search of Recovery. He slipped passed a few guards with ease. It wasn't like it was difficult to do, as the guards were more interested in having their coffee and donuts. When he spied the sign for Recovery, he glanced about the area, waiting to see if anyone of import was coming. When the coast was clear, he tested the handle; finding it unlocked, he slipped inside, unseen.

There were a few people in Recovery. He knew which one was Tenley based on the amount of security guards standing nearby. It was protocol, this he knew, but he wasn't sure how to distract them long enough to get them away from her.

"Can I help you?" a voice asked behind him. It startled him a little. He turned around quickly to see the nurse eyeing him. When her eyes landed on his bloodied turtleneck, she nodded knowingly. "You were the one who brought in Levy, aren't you?"

He furrowed his brow, but remembered the nickname that she had in the hospital. He nodded. "I just want to make sure she's okay..."

The nurse placed her hands on her hips. "We're not technically allowed to let visitors back here, but..." she sighed. "I'll make an exception for you." When Flynn offered her a smile, she added, "But if Dr. Vargas comes, you're on your own."

"Agreed," Flynn replied, still smiling warmly at the nurse.

She motioned for him to follow her, which he did. Stopping before the guards, the nurse asked that they give some privacy for the patient. They nodded, leaving Flynn to enter the closed curtain room.

On the other side of the curtains was Tenley. She was hooked up to several IVs and monitors. She was still asleep from the surgery. He looked her over. She was still a bit pale, but the color was returning to her face. He carefully sat down on the bed next to her, reaching for her hand. He sandwiched her hand within his, rubbing her knuckles with the pad of his thumb.

He studied her face, taking in her delicate features. His face had softened the moment that he had seen her, but his jaw was clenched. He was angry that she had been put in this position. He should have been there for her. He knew that his anger was misplaced when he got mad at Wyatt. His anger, he knew, rested on Rittenhouse/Bloodstone.

Rittenhouse was continually taking those he cared about from him. His wife, his daughter - they were trying to take Lucy and the others from him...now, they were targeting Tenley. Enough was enough. As he sat there next to her, holding her hand in his, he vowed to put an end to them.

Flynn could hear voices coming near. He stood up, peeking through the small gap between the curtains. He spied the nurse stalling the doctor's approach to check on Tenley. He realized that he would have to make an exit, hopefully unseen. As the doctor faced the nurse, he slipped out and took cover in the next room.

The doctor spat angrily, "Unless you've gone to medical school, stop telling me how to do my job, and I won't tell you how to do yours!"

Flynn raised an eyebrow as he listened in. He regretted stepping away. He remained silent and watched as the doctor stepped into the room with Tenley.

"Oh, Levy," the doctor started. "You were better off here...with me."

Flynn could hear a small twinge of sadness in the doctor's voice. He began to wonder if the doctor truly cared for Tenley. It was enough to make Flynn question if her leaving her life behind was the right choice. She had the chance at a normal life, and yet, she chose to disappear.

Before Flynn had a chance to do anything else, the curtains flung open and he was face to face with Doctor Vargas. The doctor's eyes widened in shock for a moment before hardening into narrow slits, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Can I help you?" he questioned angrily at Flynn.

Flynn replied, "I was looking for Tenley and stepped into the wrong room."

"You're not even supposed to be back here," the man replied. "I could have you arrested."

Ignoring him, he asked, "How is she?"

Vargas glared at Flynn. "She'll live."

Flynn's eyes held the intense stare Vargas had. He knew that if push came to shove, he could take this doctor down in an instant and this doctor knew it.

The security guards nearby noticed their standoff with one another. Flynn's eyes lifted to see their approach and turned his attention back to the doctor. "Thank you," he said. "I'm just worried about her."

Nodding, the doctor replied, "She's in good hands. I promise you."  
There was something about the way this doctor spoke about Tenley that made Flynn nervous about leaving her side. He had no choice, however, especially when Agent Christopher appeared, motioning him to join her.

"Excuse me," Flynn mumbled, brushing passed Vargas. He sauntered by the guards to the door where Christopher stood. "What's going on?"

"We've got to go," Denise replied.

"What about-" Flynn began.

She shook her head. "We'll have to come back later, but we need to go." Denise could see the war raging on inside his head. She gave him a sympathetic glance. "I know you're worried about her. We all are, but right now, we have to get back to the bunker."

Flynn sighed, forcing himself to leave the hospital, without Tenley.

Back at the bunker, Agent Christopher and Flynn found themselves standing in the main room, where the rest of the team had already been assembled by the blaring alarms which indicated the Mothership's recent jump.

"How's Tenley?" Lucy asked, clearly concerned for their doctor's wellbeing.

"She's fine for now," Denise replied. "What's going on with the Mothership?" She could see the questions of concern on everyone's faces. She sighed and stated again, "Tenley is in Recovery. She'll make it. I know you're all worried about her, as am I, but we have a job to do. Now..." she turned her eyes back to Jiya. "Where are they?"

Jiya forced herself to look back at the computer. "They're in Baltimore, Maryland... August 1838."

Lucy's face contorted with the date as she tried to piece something together. Everyone saw the wheels inside her head spinning wildly as she thought, then the light came on, but the confusion lingered.

"What's wrong?" Wyatt questioned.

Lucy shook her head. "There were a couple of things that happened back then, but it doesn't make any sense for Rittenhouse to be there at all."

"What do you mean?" Wyatt pushed.

Lucy stated, "Frederick Douglass escapes to freedom by avoiding capture by slavers after dressing up as a seaman...but..."

"Why would Rittenhouse or Bloodstone keep him alive all this time only to target him now?" Rufus questioned. "Why not kill him when we were there at his birth?"

Lucy motioned towards Rufus. "Exactly."

"There's nothing else that's happened then?" Denise questioned.

Lucy scoffed. "Well, I mean..." she sighed heavily. "I'm sure there are other things that's happened back then, but nothing of significant relevance."

"Well," Denise began. "Better get moving. See what you can find out, and be careful. We don't want a repeat of last time." She had been referring to Tenley's incident, in which they still had no knowledge of what happened.

Flynn felt torn. He didn't want to go on this mission. He wanted to be present for when Tenley woke up. If he left on the mission, his chances of being there for her would be slim.

Agent Christopher saw his struggle. She nodded. "I'll let you know as soon as you return, okay?" He grimaced, but nodded an acknowledgment and piled into the Lifeboat behind Lucy, Wyatt, and Rufus.

It wasn't long afterwards that the Lifeboat vanished from the present, sucking them backwards through time and space.


	26. Dream Of Black

**Baltimore 1838**

The team walked through the muddy streets of Baltimore, searching for any signs or clues that would help them understand why they were there. So far, they hadn't had much luck.

Upon Flynn's suggestion, they checked bulletin boards, looking for more posters, much like the one they found when Douglass was born. There hadn't been anything among the papers tacked to the board.

Rufus sighed, "What now?"

Lucy shook her head, feeling defeated. "I don't know...I..." Her voice trailed off but her eyes were locked on something up ahead.

The team saw her distracted and turned to see what had caught her attention. Nothing had stood out to them. Wyatt asked, "Lucy? What's going on?"

Lucy blinked at the question. "I think that's Poe."

Flynn's eyes scanned the crowd up ahead, in search of the famed poet. Wyatt had turned, but didn't keep his gaze locked on the crowd long enough before he had glanced back to Lucy.

"What's Poe got to do with anything?" Wyatt questioned.

Lucy smiled. "I doubt he has anything to do with why we're here, but...I mean, that's Edgar Allen Poe! In the flesh!"

Rufus shuddered. "I always thought his stuff was too creepy."

Flynn muttered, "Looks like he's headed this way..."

Before they could act natural in their environment, Poe had turned to head up their side of the street. His dark eyes landed on them, and what little color he had in his face had drained, as if he had seen a ghost. He balked at them, turned on his heel, and ran the opposite direction.

"That's not suspicious behavior at all," Rufus stated.

Wyatt shook his head. "Come on! Let's follow him!"

The group ran after the Gothic poet as he ran down the cobblestone streets. It was clear to the team that Poe was trying to lose them within the crowds of Baltimore. So far, he was nearing success.

They followed Poe as he ran down an alley, only to discover that it had been a dead-end. Poe whirled around, eyes wide with fear as he took the team in. He raised his hands in front of himself defensively. "I don't know anything!"

"They why'd you run?" Wyatt asked.

Rufus nodded. "Running makes you look guilty..." he grimaced at his words, knowing that he had projected his feelings from his time onto Poe unintentionally.

Poe stammered, "Look, I already told you... I don't know a Lucy!"

Lucy's head shot up. "I'm Lucy."

Poe blinked rapidly at her, looking her up and down. "You're not with the others, are you?"

"What others?" Lucy asked, trying to keep the poet calm long enough to figure out what he had been talking about.

Poe shook his head. "No...no, you're that Blood group..."

"We're not Bloodstone," Lucy stated. "Nor are we Rittenhouse."

"Who are you then?" Poe asked.

"We're friends," Lucy explained. "We need your help."

 **Present Day**

Tenley's eyes slowly opened to the bright lights of the hospital room. Her throat was dry and coarse, her limbs felt weak, and her stomach burned with searing pain.

Furrowing her brow, she tried to sit up, but quickly realized that she'd be unable to do so for a little while yet. She suddenly recalled being shot. She knew that gunshots took some time to heal, to get back on one's feet after the fact. She didn't know what day it was, or how much time had passed since that day.

Her eyes darted around the room, hoping to see a familiar face but there was no one. She felt around for the call button before finally finding it with her fingers. She pressed the button and heard the chime ring off outside her room.

It took the nurse over five minutes to answer the call. Tenley groaned inwardly at the length of time that had passed. She knew that it could get insanely busy on the floors, and since the hospital had short-staffed the nurses to save money on staffing costs, patient care had started to dwindle. She felt even more disconcerted about it now that she was a patient - a suffering patient at that.

When the nurse finally arrived to the room, she smiled at Tenley. "Dr. Levy," the nurse said warmly. "I'm so glad to see you're awake. You had us worried there for a while."

Tenley mouthed the words for water, which the nurse quickly grabbed from the bedside table. She helped Tenley drink from the straw. "Thank you," Tenley's raw voice said.

"I'll let the doctor know you're awake," the nurse stated, placing the water back down on the table. She turned to leave but stopped when Tenley began to speak.

"How long have I been here?" Tenley asked.

"About three days," the nurse replied.

Tenley blinked at the time that passed. When the nurse started for the door again, Tenley asked, "Who's the doctor on call today?"

The nurse replied, "Vargas." The nurse finally left the room.

Tenley groaned at the name. Of course it would have to be Roger. She didn't want him near her if she didn't need him to be. She began to wonder how well of a job he had done patching her up. She'd have to take a look herself when she had the energy to do so. She just didn't trust him.

Roger didn't waste any time to enter her room. He closed the door, crossing the room to stand next to her. He peered down at her. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Tenley swallowed nervously. "I'm okay," she lied.

He saw through the lie, but didn't say anything. "How's your pain?"

"I'm okay," she lied again. Truth be told, she was in an incredible amount of pain, but she wanted to go back to the bunker, not stay in the hospital under the care of Roger for a moment longer than she had to.

Roger smirked. "You've been shot, Levy," he stated. "You don't have to put on a brave face for me." He reached into his coat pocket, withdrawing a syringe filled with fluid. "I have your pain meds here."

"What is it?" Tenley asked, showing her distrust of the man.

He glared at her. "Really? You're going to doubt me?" he asked, annoyed. "I'm still a doctor, just like you, Levy." He pushed the fluid into her IV port. "Just relax..."

It didn't take Tenley long to realize that Roger didn't give her pain meds, but something else as her vision began to blur and fade into black.

Before she passed out completely, she heard his voice once more. "I won't let you go again."

 **1838**

Edgar Allen Poe had led the team back to his house. Once there, he offered them the few comforts he had within his house - tea, seats at the table, and small finger foods that he had available.

He looked at the team, clearly still uncomfortable with them. He saw them glancing about the small house, papers strewn across the tables and desks, and some crumpled up on the floor, creating a mountain by the trash can.

"I'm a writer," he explained. When the team didn't seem phased by the remark, he added, "But you already know that..."

"Can you tell us why you ran away from us?" Wyatt asked. "And why you know her name?" He pointed to Lucy.

Poe gave Lucy a quick glance before stating, "I ... I'm sorry, but I'll be locked away if I told you."

"No," Lucy cooed. "You won't be."

"I doubt you'd believe me to be sane after I explain it to you," Poe replied.

"Try us," Flynn interjected. He was clearly getting annoyed by the pleasantries. The team shot him a look, but he didn't care. He had other matters he'd rather tend to; like Tenley.

Poe cleared his throat before starting, "I dreamt about you. All of you." His eyes drifted to the cup in his hands. "I also dreamt about the others."

"What others?" Wyatt asked.

Poe's eyes lifted to meet Wyatt's. "The Four."

The team exchanged glances with one another. Lucy turned back to Poe asking, "The Four? Are they dressed in black suits."

"The very same," Poe remarked. "I dreamt about them for days before they showed up."

"In these dreams," Wyatt began. "What is it that they want from you?"

Poe shook his head slightly. "They kept saying something about a Lucy, but since I didn't know anyone by that name, I didn't think anything of it." He turned to Lucy and added, "Until you showed up."

"Are those men still here?" Wyatt demanded to know.

Poe shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. They seem to show themselves when they deem it necessary."

"So," Flynn asked. "If you saw us coming, why did you run?"

The poet blinked. "I honestly don't know," he admitted. "I guess because I feared that if I knew a Lucy, the other dreams would become true."

"What other dreams?" Lucy asked. "Dreams about us?"

"About you," Poe stated. He sighed, finally sitting down at the table with the rest of the team. He explained, "My poems - my stories, are things that I've dreamed about. In fact, one of my stories that has been recently selected to be published was a very morbid dream...and the editors loved every moment of it."

"Which story is this?" Rufus asked. He had read some of Poe's works, but couldn't get into it. He felt they were a bit too creepy for his taste. He had stopped reading after The Pit and The Pendulum.

Poe replied, "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket."

Lucy's eyes widened. "You dreamt that?" Poe nodded.

"I'm not following," Wyatt admitted. He'd never read any of Poe's works. He was familiar with them, as most were; The Raven, for example.

Lucy turned to Wyatt and said, "It's about a lost whaling ship at sea who end up drawing straws to see which member of the crew they would eat. A boy named Richard Parker ends up with the short straw and they kill and eat him." Poe's eyes widened as she spoke.

Wyatt asked, "And that's relevant because?"

Lucy added, "In 1884, four men were adrift at sea, shipwrecked and without food. They drew straws. The young boy who drew the short straw was eaten by the others." She turned to Poe and stated, "The boy's name was also Richard Parker."

Poe shot up from his chair. "How do you know about any of that? It's not even in print yet!"

Lucy motioned for him to remain calm. "Some of your other stories turned out to be true too." She gave him a sympathetic glance. "You know why we know...You've seen us coming...those men told you the truth, didn't they?"

Poe exhaled, shaking his head. "How is any of this possible?"

"Look," Wyatt chimed in. "We don't have time to explain any of this to you, but we do need to know why those men are here and what they want with Lucy." Poe glanced between the team. Wyatt added, "Will you help us?"

Poe sighed heavily, motioning defeat with his hands. "Fine." He sat down and asked, "Where do you want me to start?"

"The beginning is always a good place," Flynn replied, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn't want anything left out because he didn't want to have to stop whatever their next step would be to discover a minute detail had been left out.

Poe stated, "The Four had appeared in my dreams about two weeks before they showed up. I couldn't shake them from my mind. Every time I saw someone in the streets wearing a nice suit, I panicked. I thought it was them. Eventually, I stopped looking for them. And the moment that I stopped looking for them, they appeared."

He took a sip from his cup, carefully setting it back down onto the dish. He continued, "They asked me if I had seen this woman and her companions." He paused and pulled out a folded piece of paper from his breast pocket, unfolding it carefully before sliding it towards them.

The paper was familiar to everyone sitting at the table. It was another Wanted poster with their pictures on it. This time, however, the portraits had been fixed. They looked just like their drawings.

Poe continued, "At the time, I hadn't seen any of you. I didn't even know your names. They didn't believe me..."

"What did they do to you?" Lucy asked, sensing trouble on the horizon. She saw the pained expression on Edgar's face.

He clenched his fists. "They took my wife with them. They told me that I would get her back the moment that I agreed to help them."

"Help them with what?" Lucy asked.

Poe looked into Lucy's brown eyes. "They want you in return."

"Did they say why?" Wyatt asked, voice hardening protectively.

Poe shook his head. "No," he admitted.

"What did they ask you to do?" Flynn questioned. He knew that it wasn't going to be as simple as letting them know that Lucy had arrived to this time period. It would be something more involved than just that.

Poe quickly glanced up at Flynn before adverting his gaze. "I'm supposed to lead you to a small warehouse nearby," he told them. "They'd be ready for your arrival and then they'd give me back my wife."  
Wyatt asked, "Just like that?" Wyatt raised an eyebrow before glancing at the faces of his team. None of them seemed to be buying into what Poe was saying.

Rufus seemed lost in thought. He finally asked, "Have you always been able to dream the future?" The team seemed somewhat stunned that he was asking this question now, but they also knew why he was doing it; Jiya. He clearly had been thinking back to Jiya's visions and how it's been impacting her.

Poe shook his head. "No... I haven't," he stated. "Why do you ask?"

Rufus sighed. "I have a friend who's been seeing the future too...but she's awake when it happens."

Poe's eyes narrowed. "I've never seen the future while awake before..."

"So," Wyatt began, interrupting the conversation between Rufus and Poe. "Where is this warehouse? How many men will they have there?"

Poe shook his head. "I don't know how many men will be there, but I can take you there."

Flynn let loose a short amused laugh. "That's exactly what they want you to do."

"Please," Poe begged, looking like he'd been ousted by his own story. "I'm begging you. I have to get my wife back...she's very sick."

Rufus asked, "What's wrong with her?"

Before Poe had a chance to explain, Lucy stated, "She's got tuberculosis. She dies in 1847-" Her eyes widened with fear, mouth falling agape at her insensitivity regarding telling the future in front of the man who would be greatly impacted by it. She whirled her head around to look at him. "I'm so sorry...I didn't mean to-"

"How do you know all of this?" Poe asked, tears forming behind his eyes. "I've never told anyone that she's sick."

Lucy sighed, thinking on how to handle the situation. Flynn, however, chimed in. "Look," he began. "You already know. We're from the future. We know all about your life, your publications, even your death. We don't have time for this."

"Flynn!" Lucy hissed at him.

Flynn ignored her warnings and the death stares the men were giving him. He continued, "If you truly care about your wife, you'll tell us exactly what those men want with Lucy, with you and your wife. The longer you stall, the less likely you'll see your wife alive again."

For the first time since meeting Edgar Allen Poe, the team saw the cracks in his performance. The expression that the poet wore on his face had been mixed; sadness, fear, anger, resentment, and confusion.

"They're already coming," Poe admitted so quietly, it was barely heard; but it was heard. "I've taken so long as it is..."

Wyatt was the first to jump to his feet, gun drawn, followed by Flynn. Both were on the immediate defensive. They didn't know what to expect, but they knew enough to know that whatever these Bloodstone men wanted, the battle wouldn't be an easy one. Each time they had crossed paths with these men, one of their own had suffered.

Thoughts of Tenley had swarmed Flynn's mind. If anything, he'd kill them all to exact revenge for her sufferings.

Poe cleared his throat. "There's a way out under the house," he stated. "It will lead you outside the city." Everyone glanced over at the poet. He stood there, forlorn. He whispered, "If I help you escape, promise me you'll find my wife and bring her home."

"We'll do what we can," Lucy cooed at him.

Poe rushed forward, grabbing his coat and pulling it on. He motioned for them to follow him as he opened up the closet door. Pulling a knob that had been hidden in the floor, he opened the door to the crawlspace under the house. He glanced over his shoulder, motioning to the team to enter quickly.

Wyatt jumped inside first, cautiously scanning the darkened corridors for dangers. When he was satisfied, he motioned for the others to join him. Lucy went inside next, followed by Rufus. Flynn hopped down, and Poe closed the door behind him.

The moment the door to the house closed, they were enveloped in darkness. Within a short minute, Poe had lit a torch. He turned to the team and whispered, "This way."

The team followed the poet through the underground tunnels beneath the city.

"I don't remember hearing about these tunnels," Lucy began. She halted her sentence, remembering that she shouldn't be saying too much in front of the man - at least, any more than she had already.

Poe stated, "They're old ruins that the city decided to build on top of. Very few people know about them."

The group followed him through the labyrinth of tunnels until they finally reached a storm grate, allowing them fresh air and an exit to the outside.

Poe pushed the rod-iron gate open and they exited into a small field just on the outskirts of the city. The team looked at the view of the city in the middle of the night.

"What are you going to do now?" Rufus questioned.

Poe replied, "I keep my head down as best as I can, pushing forward as always."

Lucy felt the pain he showed on his face. She gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry about your wife."

"I'm sorry that you're tied up in all this," he admitted. "There is something that I should tell you..."

Lucy held his gaze. "What's that?"

He whispered, "Don't trust anyone." She furrowed her brow at him.

Before she could ask him what he meant, Flynn announced, "We've got company coming."

In the shadows of the fields, they could see the outlines of four men making their approach towards them. They carried a torch each. It had become obvious to them at this point that they had been led into a trap, regardless of Poe's help.

Wyatt turned to Poe. "You led us straight to them?"

Poe shook his head. "They knew before we even met."

"How is that possible?" Rufus asked.

The men were getting closer. Flynn and Wyatt hunkered down into some cover, prepared to make a fight for an escape.

Lucy, Rufus, and Poe found a place behind Flynn and Wyatt to hide.

Rufus looked over at the poet and asked, "Your dreams of the future, do you believe them to be God-given gifts?" Rufus had been thinking on this since he had discovered that Poe had visions of the future, much like Harriet Tubman had stated she also possessed the ability. Harriet believed that they were gifts from God. Jiya, on the other hand, didn't think they were gifts at all.

Poe's face scrunched up at the phrasing. "Why would God give anyone this gift? I believe it to be a curse."

Rufus seemed shocked to hear someone see it that way. It became clear to him that no one would be able to agree on whether or not it was a gift, curse, or what. He had hoped to bring back something useful for Jiya, but he had realized that Poe didn't want to talk about it.

The men had gotten closer. Suddenly, they stopped. They seemed to know exactly where the team had hunkered down.

One of the men shouted, "We know you're there! We don't want to have to kill any of you!"

Flynn scoffed at the empty words. Wyatt kept his eyes fixated on the men before them.

"We just want Lucy!" the man shouted again. "Let her come with us, we'll release the woman, and we can all go about with our lives."

Flynn and Wyatt exchanged glances. They weren't going to listen to these men. They certainly weren't going to hand Lucy over to them. They claimed they'd let everyone else go, but there was something about these men that told them not to trust what they were saying.

Wyatt asked, "Do you think we can take them all out now?"

Flynn shrugged. "Maybe," he stated. "If we fire quickly, we might be able to get the upper hand, but one miss..."

Wyatt nodded, understanding the problem Flynn was about to explain. If just one bullet missed its mark, the men would have a chance to get behind cover, fire upon them, or flank their position. They couldn't take that risk with Lucy behind them.

"I'm open to suggestions," Wyatt admitted.

Flynn had opened his mouth to respond, but a voice spoke up behind them. "Where's my wife?"

Flynn and Wyatt turned to see Poe standing up, demanding answers from the four. They blinked at the brazen behavior of the poet. They turned their attention back to the four men before them.

Wyatt whispered, "This is a distraction in our favor."

They glanced at each other before Flynn and Wyatt began to move carefully to opposite ends of the cover, trying to flank the four men.

"Your wife is safe," one of the men replied.

"Safe where?" Poe demanded.

Flynn and Wyatt managed to get into position, patiently waiting for the opportunity to strike first.

The men seemed agitated by Poe's questions. The first man spoke up once more, "She's somewhere safe, I promise you."

"I want to see her!" Poe demanded.

Lucy glanced up at him. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

Poe shouted at the men, "I need to see her! I need to make sure that she's all right!"

"We have some of the best doctors treating her," the man shouted back. "There's no reason to get worked up. We told you we'd help you."

Poe shook his head, stepping towards the men with his hands raised defensively to show he was unarmed. "I want you to take me to her."

The first man groaned. "I don't have time for this." He raised his gun towards the famous poet. Wyatt and Flynn took the chance and opened fire upon the four men.

The men scattered. They dropped their torches, setting the fields ablaze. Lucy peered through her cover to see if she could make out any figures. She could hear the guns going off, but she couldn't see any one moving.

Rufus tried to get a better look, but every time he stuck his head up to look, a ricochet caused him to hunker back down to ride out the fight.

Flynn and Wyatt had managed to take out one man each when they had preemptively attacked the four. There were two still out there, unaccounted for. Flynn's eyes glanced about the fire-lit fields in search of the men. He couldn't find them.

Wyatt began to inch his way forward, careful not to be seen. A hand landed on his shoulder, gripping him tightly, lifting him to his feet.

Wyatt quickly turned, landing a blow to the man's throat before pushing the suited man away. The suited man held his throat for a brief moment before regaining his composure.

Without waiting for the man to attack first, Wyatt lunged at the man, knocking them both to the burning field. Wyatt balled his fist, connecting it with the man's face.

The man kicked Wyatt off of him. He scrambled to his hands and knees, grabbing a fistful of dirt to throw into Wyatt's face. Wyatt turned his head in time, but still managed to catch some debris in his eyes.

Blinking rapidly in hopes to dislodge the dirt from his eyes, Wyatt felt the man knock him off his feet. The suited man straddled Wyatt, choking him. Wyatt tried to knock the man off of himself, but failed. He couldn't get the man's grip to loosen. His already blurry vision started to darken. Wyatt could hear the panicked screams of Lucy fading with his hearing.

A faint echo of gunfire echoed inside Wyatt's ears. The man on top of him blinked a few times, seemingly surprised. The grip loosened around his neck. Blood began to pool down the man's lips before he fell next to Wyatt.

Coughing heavily as smoked-filled air filled his deprived lungs, Wyatt slowly sat up to see what had happened.

Standing a short few feet away was Edgar Allen Poe, still aiming the gun in his direction. Wyatt held Poe's eyes. He nodded his thanks to the man. He owed the man his life.

Poe lowered the gun and turned to the others as they approached. Flynn announced, "I couldn't find the other man. He's long gone."

"And we will be soon," Poe added. "If we don't leave this field soon."

The team, followed by Poe, left the burning field before any one came to the scene.

Once they were safe from the fields, Poe asked, "Do you have any ideas where they might have taken my wife?"

Lucy shook her head. "I don't know..."

Rufus muttered something under his breath that no one had been able to hear. Lucy turned to him, but he shook his head. She didn't press him on it.

Poe sighed. "Please, find her for me..."

Lucy gave him a sympathetic smile. "We'll do what we can."

"That's all I can hope for," Poe replied. He turned to Flynn. "Might I have a word with you?"

Flynn raised an eyebrow at the poet, but nodded. The two stepped aside to speak privately.

Rufus asked, "What do you think they're talking about?"

Lucy stared at the two as they spoke. "I don't know..." She began to wonder what Poe was telling Flynn. The more he spoke, the more Flynn's body language tightened up with anger. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

When they finished speaking, Flynn had become rigid and hardened. Lucy knew that the last time she saw him like this had been when they went back to save Karl Gruber and they talked about their families and Rittenhouse's involvement. She wondered if Poe had shared something with Flynn about the same thing.


	27. A Prayer And A Whisper

**A/N: Thank you ashleyliening for your review. It means so much to me to hear from my readers. Thank you.**

 **Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Present Day**

The team exited the Lifeboat, covered in soot and smoke. Agent Christopher asked, "What happened?"

"Well," Lucy began. "I'm not exactly sure..."

Connor Mason had come around the corner, holding a book and a beaming smile plastered on his face. "There you are!"

Everyone turned to see him as he approached. "I think you might be ready to read this..." He passed the book over to Lucy.

Lucy glanced at the cover. It was a complete works by Edgar Allen Poe. She flipped the book open to where Mason had added a bookmark. The title of the story it marked was _The Four_. There was a drawing of characters to their likeness. She blinked at the open pages. "He wrote about us?"

Connor smirked. "Seems so," he replied. "And it's one of his best works...better that _The Raven_."

Lucy turned back to the book. She handed the book over to Rufus. She brushed passed the team and towards her room. She pulled books off of her shelf, flipping through them in hopes that she still had her book on Poe. She spied the book she was looking for and opened to 1848. Upon scanning through the printed words, she discovered that Poe's wife had mysteriously disappeared. There had been no trace of her.

Lucy flipped forward a couple of chapters, scanning the pages as she went. She learned that Poe had filed a police report regarding the kidnapping of his wife, and vowed to always search for her. He still ended up found nearly dead in someone else's clothes, calling out for a man named, 'Reynolds'. He died shortly after. His last words had stayed the same too, 'Lord, help my poor soul'.

Lucy sighed, holding her head in her hands. Things didn't add up. Some things had changed for the poet, but many had remained the same.

After everyone had cleaned themselves up, Rufus approached Jiya. "Hey."

She turned to him, warm smile on her face. "Hey back. How was 'Nevermore'?" she joked.

Rufus glanced down nervously at his feet before asking, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she replied, blinking at the question.

He shook his head. "I meant about the visions..."

She shifted in her place. "They're fine."

"Look," he began. "Poe had visions of the future too."

"What?" she asked, face contorting at the statement.

Rufus nodded. "He wrote a few books based on his visions. I don't remember the names of them, but I'm sure that Lucy will know if you're curious-"

"What are you trying to say, Rufus?" Jiya asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

Rufus took a hesitant step backwards. "I asked him if he's always had them...if he thought they were a gift from God, like Harriet Tubman did." Jiya waited patiently for him to continue. He added, "He felt it was a curse."

"He's not wrong, you know," she pointed out.

Rufus's face showed his concern for her well-being. He sighed. "I don't think your visions are a curse...but..."

"They aren't your problem," Jiya stated. "I'm fine."

"What if there's a connection between you and Harriet and Poe-" he started.

She cut him off. "I'm going to say this one more time, okay? I'm fine. I'm learning to control them."

Rufus was about to say something more to her on the matter, but she shook her head, brushing by him. He watched her storm off, knowing to let it go for now. There wouldn't be any good to come from hounding her on it. He'd have to continue to search for answers on her behalf.

Rufus's brown eyes lifted to see Flynn standing there. He wondered how long the man had been standing there listening in on their conversation. "You like eavesdropping on people?"

Flynn shook his head. He approached Rufus. "I think it's noble what you're trying to do for her."

"What?" Rufus asked, confusion written all over his face.

Flynn nodded. "You care about her and you're trying to do everything you can to make sure that whatever these...visions...are, that she is safe."

"What are you getting at?" Rufus questioned, feeling uneasy with the man.

Flynn asked, "Do you remember Poe coming to me before we left?" Rufus nodded. Flynn continued, "Do you want to know what he told me?"

Rufus asked, "Are you going to tell me anyways?"

Flynn gritted his teeth. He was trying to be helpful. "Look," he began. "I don't want to tell anyone about what he said-"

"Then why are you?" Rufus questioned.

"Because I think it might help you on your quest to save Jiya," Flynn retorted.

"What are you talking about?" Rufus asked. "What could he have told you that would help me with Jiya?"

Flynn's eyes glanced about the room for a moment before settling on Rufus once more. "He overheard the Bloodstone men talking, before we arrived, before his wife was taken-"

"Okay?" Rufus interjected impatiently.

Flynn continued, "He heard them talking about my family."

"What about them?" Rufus asked. He was growing even more impatient as he waited for Flynn to get to the point.

"They said that my Iris," Flynn began, pausing as he said his daughter's name. "Also had visions of the future."

Rufus's eyes bulged. "What? How is that possible?"

Flynn sighed dejectedly. "It makes sense now that I think back on my last day with her." Rufus stayed silent as Flynn continued. "That day she had been acting a little out of character, always looking over her shoulder, almost afraid of every sound. I didn't think anything about it. When it was time for bed, she had me check the closet for monsters, much like any child her age would ask for. I even checked under her bed. She asked me what would happen if they came for her in the middle of the night."

Rufus had never heard the story before. He could feel the tears forming behind his eyes as Flynn regaled him the story for the first time. He knew it was hard for Flynn to talk about it and not many people in the bunker knew his story.

Flynn continued, "I told her that I would protect her from the bad men...the monsters... " Flynn paused, blinking tears away from his eyes. The guilt showed on the man's face. It pained him to recount those moments and Rufus knew it. Flynn stated, "She saw them coming, Rufus. She knew they were coming for her."

"But..." Rufus began. "Why would they-"

"Poe said that they were tracking down those who possessed the ability to see the future," Flynn stated.

"But why?" Rufus asked.

Flynn's jaw tightened once more. "Because those with that ability were a threat to whatever it is that they are planning on doing."

"They could be stopped?" Rufus asked.

Flynn nodded. "Take out everyone that could see the future as their plans set things into motion, and there'd be no one to stop them."

"You think they're going to kill Jiya?" Rufus asked.

Flynn shrugged. "I don't know. But I will say that they didn't kill Harriet Tubman. They didn't kill Poe...because we stopped them."

"But they killed Iris..." Rufus interrupted.

Flynn looked away. "I don't know how much weight Poe's eavesdropping holds, but I thought you should know." Flynn began to walk away.

Rufus called after him, "I'm sorry about Iris..."

Flynn stopped briefly, but didn't say another word. He continued to leave the room.

Rufus stood there stunned. He couldn't believe what he had just been told. He didn't know what to do moving forward, especially now that he had this bit of new information. He didn't want to tell Flynn's story to anyone because he felt that Flynn had shared that in confidence, but he might need to bring it up eventually. He decided that the best thing to do moving forward would be to keep this information in his back pocket until the right time dictated he say something.

Flynn walked through the corridors of the bunker until he reached the door. Agent Christopher had been waiting for him. "Are you ready to go?"

"Have you heard any updates on her?" Flynn asked.

Denise nodded. "I was notified shortly before you returned that Tenley had woken up."

Flynn gave her a curt nod as they headed to the vehicle. He climbed inside and asked, "Have they said how she's doing?"

Denise shook her head. "No," she admitted. "The nurse said that she woke up and asked that we come in as soon as possible."

Flynn felt guilty for not being back in time for when Tenley woke up. He hoped that she would understand why she was alone in that hospital. He also hoped that that doctor was doing his job in keeping Tenley well taken care of. There had been something about that doctor that he just didn't trust. He just couldn't put his finger on why.

When Agent Christopher and Flynn arrived to the hospital, they headed up to the room number that they were given for Tenley. Upon entering her room, they noticed it was empty.

"Where is she?" Agent Christopher thought out loud.

Flynn's eyes darted around the room, quickly examining every detail in hopes that there would be some clue as to what happened.

"May I help you?" a voice spoke behind them.

They turned around and saw a nurse eyeing them suspiciously. Agent Christopher showed her badge. "Yes," she began. "We were told that our friend, Tenley Levinson, was awake."

The nurse paled at the remark. "She's been taken to surgery..."

Flynn narrowed his eyes at her. "What for?"

The nurse glanced up at him. "I'm not sure. I can find her file for you-"

"That's not necessary," Denise replied. "Do you know how long she'll be in surgery?"

"I can't say," the nurse replied. "The doctor wheeled her out this morning."

Flynn cocked his head to the side. "Which doctor was this?"

"Her primary on her case," the nurse stated. "Dr. Vargas."

Christopher nodded her thanks to the nurse, allowing the woman to leave. Denise turned to face Flynn and noted his expression. "What's the matter?"

"Something is wrong," Flynn replied.

"I can't disagree with you that something doesn't add up-" Denise began.

Flynn cut her off. "No, this is different. I don't trust her doctor."

"Before we go jumping to conclusions," Denise stated. "Let's wait and see what happens. It could very well be true."

Flynn shook his head. He didn't want to sit and wait. He wanted answers. He wanted to see that Tenley was okay. He needed to see Tenley.

Tenley's eyes began to slowly open. She blinked, allowing her eyes to adjust to the harsh light inside the room. She furrowed her brow, realizing that she wasn't in her hospital room anymore.

Turning her head, she scanned her surroundings. Nothing looked familiar. She wasn't even sure that she was still in the hospital. If she didn't know better, she would have believed that she had been moved to an old warehouse given the state of the room. It had become run down, musty, and unsanitary. If she didn't die of infection within the room, she might end up with tetanus or something just has bad.

Tenley could feel her wound ache. She knew that she still hadn't gotten any pain medications for her wound. At this moment, pain medication was farthest from her mind. She needed to figure out where she was first. She tried to sit up, but discovered that she had been placed in the physical restraints. She knew she'd be unable to get herself out of them without help.

She began to panic. She closed her eyes, trying to regulate her breathing. She knew she needed to remain calm. Panicking would only worsen her condition. She focused on her breathing.

 _In...Out...In...Out..._

Soon, she heard the sounds of footsteps echoing outside her room. Her eyes flew open the moment the door opened. Glancing over to the old door, she blinked at the man standing in the doorway. "You," she gasped.

Roger stood in the doorframe. "I see you're finally awake."

"What are you doing?" she asked him. "Where am I?"

"You're still at the hospital," he explained.

Tenley furrowed her brow at him. "What?"

"The old basement," he reminded her.

She nodded, remembering the old basement that had been scheduled for a remodel. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why am I here?"

"We need to talk," he stated. "I thought that having some privacy would benefit such a talk."

She swallowed nervously. "Why am I restrained?"

"I couldn't risk you hurting yourself when I was gone," he said. She couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. That was always the hard part for her regarding Roger. He was excellent at lying.

"Mind taking them off?" she asked. "So we can talk?"

"Sorry," he replied. "But I don't want you running off on me."

Tenley inhaled slowly, being careful with her words. "Where would I go? If I step on the floor, I risk tetanus."

Roger smirked. "That's very true, but I'm not taking the chance."

Tenley sighed, realizing he wouldn't release her. She would have no choice but to listen to him ramble on.

Roger stood over her, studying her face. "I've missed you."  
"Have you?" Tenley asked, not believing him.

He nodded. "Where have you been?" he questioned.

"I can't tell you," she explained truthfully. She wouldn't have told him even if she could have.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Is it because of the Homeland Security woman?" When Tenley didn't answer, he smirked. "You know, she's here."

"What?" Tenley gasped.

He nodded. "That woman came back...has her bodyguard with her."

Tenley's brows knitted together. "What bodyguard?"

"Doesn't matter," Roger replied. "What matters now is that we're together."

"You're insane," Tenley remarked. "You realize that this constitutes as kidnapping, right?"

"I didn't kidnap you-" Roger laughed.

Tenley replied, "You knocked me out, transported me to a different area without my consent, restrained me to a bed, and you're not telling my friends where I am...how is that _not_ kidnapping?"

Roger stepped away from her bedside. "I don't expect you to understand-"

"So help me understand," Tenley pushed. She figured the longer she could stall, the longer she could keep him talking, the sooner Agent Christopher and whoever was with her would figure out that something was wrong and come looking for her.

Roger turned back to face her. "We're not so different, you and I."

She rolled her eyes. He couldn't be serious. They were completely different. She had tried to explain that once to him before, but he stubbornly refused to see it.

Roger saw her eyes roll. "I'm serious, Levy. We were made for each other."

Tenley couldn't help but let a small laugh escape from her lips. "Right..."

"Your parents seem to agree with me," Roger stated.

Tenley's eyes widened at the mention of her parents. "What are you talking about? What do they have to do with this?"

"Everything," he replied. "I've been talking with them for a while now."

"How-" Tenley started. He interrupted her.

Roger smiled at her. "I stopped by your parents' house. They kindly invited me in to chat. I must say, your mother is just delightful!"

"What can I say?" Tenley began. "Crazy loves crazy."

Roger's eyes flashed red for split second. "I'm not crazy."

Tenley sensed the anger rising within Roger. She needed him to stay calm. She needed to buy herself more time. She needed Agent Christopher and the others to find her.

Roger cleared his throat, regaining his composure. "I've been accepted into your family, Levy. Your family loves me. In fact, they've given me permission to marry you."

Tenley blinked up at him in surprise. "What?"

He cackled. "It's destiny, Levy."

"What have you told them about my whereabouts?" she questioned. "I haven't spoke to them in quite some time..."

"I know," he replied. "It took some time convincing them, but they believe that you are leading a medical conference in Germany."

Tenley scoffed. "Like I'd ever do such a thing..."

Roger shrugged. "Well, they seemed to believe it."

Tenley closed her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Roger gently caressed her arm as he said, "Your family seemed genuinely excited to hear that you were going to be engaged to the Chief of Surgery."

"I bet they were..." Tenley muttered.

Roger studied her face. "We could have a very comfortable life together, Levy..."

"Comfortable...right," she scoffed.

He leaned close to her. "You wouldn't need to worry about anything if you were with me. "

"Except being kidnapped and possibly tortured," she retorted.

"I didn't torture you-" he began.

Tenley rolled her eyes. "This conversation is becoming torturous."

"I don't understand you," Roger rebutted. "I covered for you! Not just with your job here, but I covered for you with your family! You owe me!"

Tenley remained calm, even though she wanted to yell back at him. She asked, "Who asked you to?"

"You disappeared, Levy!" he shouted at her. She felt his angry spittle hit her face. She grimaced at the feeling. "Someone had to cover your bases! Someone had to make sure that you had a life to come home to!"

"I didn't ask you to," she pointed out. "I walked away...from this place, from this life...from you!"

He smacked her cheeks hard. She twisted her head away from his hands. He shook his head. "Your mother was right about you. You're ungrateful...spiteful..."

"Glad you two made such good friends," Tenley replied. "Maybe you two should get together."

He smacked her cheeks again, harder this time. "Show some respect, Levy! They care about you! They worry about you! Just like I do!"

"They don't care about me," she replied. "They never have! Why do you think I was so eager to get away from them? Disappear from all of this? It's because of them!"

Roger's face softened. "But not me...?"

"What?" she asked, taken off guard.

"You wanted to disappear from your life because of your family," he repeated. "But you didn't say you wanted to disappear from me..."

"Oh my God, Roger!" Tenley groaned. "Of course, I wanted to get away from you too! I've rejected you several times...I'm not playing hard to get-"

"Are you sure?" he questioned. "It's working if you are."

"How is it possible you passed the psych eval to even work here?" she spat at him.

His eyes flashed red once more. His face hardened. She realized that she had crossed a line too far this time. He walked away from her, back to his table of supplies. She tried to contort herself to see what he was doing. Given her angle, she couldn't see anything.

He turned back to face her, holding a large syringe, filled with liquid. "I think we're done talking...it's time for you to sleep."

"Please," Tenley started. "Please, let's keep talking...I'm sorry." Roger wasn't listening. He continued to approach Tenley. She felt tears falling from her eyes. "Please, Roger...let's talk. I'm sorry. I'm just scared."

He halted for a moment. The wheels in his head were turning quickly, clearly trying to decide whether or not to continue speaking with her. "What are you so scared of?"

Tenley's voice shook as she spoke, "Right now? You..."

He blinked at her, lowering the syringe slightly. "I'm just trying to help you-"

"I know," she interrupted him. "I know you are...I guess I'm just not used to having anyone look out for me...like you..."

He narrowed his eyes at her, cocking his head to the side, almost as if he was catching on to her mind games. He smirked. "You must think I'm stupid," he stated. "Your tricks won't work on me, Levy."

Before Tenley could formulate a new plan against Roger, he readied the syringe for injection. As the needle came closer to plunging into her skin, Tenley tried to flail against the restraints. She felt Roger pin her arm down into the mattress of the hospital bed.

Tenley began to scream, trying desperately to get someone - anyone to hear her cries for help.

Roger shouted over her, "You can scream all you want! There won't be anyone to hear you down here!"

Tenley felt the prick of the needle enter her arm - then nothing. The needle was yanked out of her arm by the sheer force of Roger being jerked away from Tenley's unconscious body.

Roger dropped the syringe, glancing up to see who had joined them in the basement. He was genuinely surprised when he was face to face with Flynn. The moment he recovered, he smirked at Flynn. "Ah, the bodyguard."

Flynn's face was hardened. He balled his fists up, ready to beat the doctor bloody. He knew he had to buy some time for Agent Christopher and the security guards of the hospital to catch up with him. He would enjoy beating the doctor within an inch of his life.

Roger stated, "You can't touch me...you're in a hospital. It's a federal offense to touch a member of staff-"

"I am the government," Flynn replied.

Roger charged Flynn, swiping his arm across Flynn's chest. Flynn hadn't noticed until a second too late, that the doctor had been holding a scalpel. It caught Flynn's arm upon the initial attack.

Flynn knew that he had the upper hand with the doctor. On the second attempt, Flynn grabbed the doctor's arm, breaking it. The scalpel fell with a clang on the floor.

Flynn twisted the doctor's broken arm behind his back, knocking him to the floor. Flynn wanted so desperately to punch the doctor, but he refrained. Had it not been for Agent Christopher and the security guards entering the room behind him, he would have landed a few blows for good measure.

The guards took Roger under arrest, forcing him out of the basement.

Flynn bent down and noticed the syringe that Roger had attempted to use on Tenley. Standing up with the syringe, he glanced over at the tray of supplies. He sighed a breath of relief when he noticed that the contents inside the syringe would only knock Tenley out and not kill her.

Flynn approached Tenley's bed and began undoing the restraints. She had been in them for a while, he noticed, as her wrists, ankles, abdomen, and neck had red pressure marks. He studied her face, shaking his head at the close call she had been placed in. He felt guilty for not being there to protect her. He knew better than to leave her alone with a man he had questions about.

He picked her up carefully from the bed. He turned around to Agent Christopher. "Let's get her home."


	28. Morning Is Here

**A/N: Posting another chapter as an early Christmas gift to you. The next chapter to follow will most likely be after Christmas. Enjoy your holiday. ~Cheers.**

 **(And thank you, ashleyliening for your review!)**

* * *

Tenley's eyes struggled to open and focus on the ceiling tiles looming overhead. Squinting, she blinked at the tiles. They seemed familiar to her; she wasn't sure why.

She moved her arm, glancing down at the lack of restraints holding her down. Her eyes scanned the room. She was confused as she took in the neat bookshelf, the silver picture frame that sat on one of the shelves.

Her eyes drifted down to an old armchair where she saw Flynn sitting, reading one of his books. His eyes lifted to meet hers. Waves of emotions washed over his features as he closed his book, dropping it next to him in the chair before standing up to approach her.

"Hey, Nine," he said quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"Where am I?" Tenley whispered. "What happened?"

Flynn smiled warmly at her. "You're safe. You're back in the bunker," he explained. "You're in my room."

Tenley was about to ask another question, but a knock on the door prevented her from doing so. After the knock, the door opened and the rest of the bunker had squeezed themselves into Flynn's small room.

"Tenley, you're awake!" Lucy announced. "How are you feeling?"

Denise motioned for the team to wait, which Tenley was appreciative for. However, her appreciation was short lived when Agent Christopher began asking her questions, "Do you remember what happened to you? Who shot you?"

Questions upon questions began flying at Tenley. Her head was swimming with all of them asking their questions. Flynn could see her struggling to make sense of everything. "Guys," Flynn interjected, silencing everyone. "She just woke up...how about we give her a moment to gather herself?"

Denise nodded slowly. "I'm sorry," she started. "We'll give you some time. Come find us when you're ready."

Tenley nodded that she understood as she watched the team file out of the room. They offered her smiles and showed their excitement that she seemed fine.

When the door to Flynn's room closed behind everyone, Tenley tried to sit up. Flynn stopped her. "Careful," he said, placing his hand on her shoulders to keep her from moving too much. "You need to rest."

"What happened?" she asked again.

Flynn's brow knitted together. "What do you remember?"

Tenley's eyes darted back and forth as she tried to recall her last memory. "I remember ... I remember Roger."

Flynn tensed. "I'm sorry," he began. "I had no idea what he was capable of."

"Me either, apparently," she replied. "What did he do to me?"

Flynn explained what he knew from his perspective. When he was finished, Tenley asked, "How did you find me? I mean, not many people know about the abandoned section of the hospital."

"I followed him," Flynn stated. "We were told you were in surgery, but I checked out all of the OR suites...you weren't there."

"You checked all of them?" Tenley asked. "How'd you get by the security?"

Flynn smirked. "Turns out that once you're dressed in scrubs, no one bats an eye at you."

Tenley let a small chuckle out, then winced at the pain in her stomach. She reached for her right side.

Flynn asked, "Do you remember much about the mission you were on?" He motioned to her stomach. "Do you remember who shot you?"

Tenley sighed, thinking back on it. Her eyes closed as she tried to think it over. Suddenly, her eyes flew open. "'Your mother sends her regards'..." she quoted.

"What?" Flynn asked, confused.

"Right before he shot me-" she started.

He cut her off. "Before who shot you?"

"Jack," Tenley replied. "He was...I thought he was the first mate of the Pulaski..." Flynn's jaw clenched as she recalled details. She continued, "He told me, 'your mother sends her regards'... then he shot me..."

"Your mother-" Flynn began to ask.

Tenley shook her head. "Not mine..." She held his stare. "Lucy's."

Flynn studied her face. "Are you sure?"

"My mother may be a lot of things, but killing isn't necessarily on the list of things she'd do," Tenley replied. "It'd end my suffering..." she mumbled.

Flynn had heard her mumbled thoughts, but said nothing. "You're sure that they were after Lucy?"

"Makes the most sense to me," Tenley replied. "They've mistaken me for Lucy in the past... and my mother isn't out to kill me. From what I understand, Lucy's mother is part of the whole Rittenhouse thing, right?"

Flynn nodded. "Why would Lucy's mother want to kill her though?" he mused out loud. Tenley shrugged, still wincing as she reached for her side. He turned his attention to her wound. "Are you okay?"

"Who's been treating my wound?" she questioned.

Flynn replied, "Jiya and myself."

"When's the last time you checked it?" she asked.

Flynn glanced at his watch. "You're almost due," he replied. "Why?"

"I think it would be good to check now," she stated. "It's hurting a lot."

Flynn sighed. "Okay." He picked her up and carried her towards the infirmary.

"Why was I in your room?" she asked.

"You don't have a bed in your room," he replied. "I thought it would be better for you to have a bed instead of the couch."

"Oh," Tenley muttered.

Once inside the infirmary, Flynn carefully placed her on the exam table, allowing her to lean back. Flynn grabbed some gloves and put them on, grabbing some supplies from the cabinets.

Tenley smirked. "Looks like you know your way around here now." He turned to her, smiling slightly. She added, "You guys don't need me anymore-"

He cut her off, "Of course we need you."

"I was trying to joke," she added.

He lifted her shirt to expose the bandage. He carefully started to peel back the old bandage to check the wound. Tenley's breathing grew sharp as she tried to keep from crying out with discomfort.

Flynn removed the old blood soaked bandage, tossing it in the trash. He started to clean her wound. "It's looking good," he stated.

Tenley leaned up slightly to get a better look at it. "Wow," she exclaimed. "I'm impressed. You guys did a good job... it doesn't look infected either."

"Were you worried about that?" he asked, clearly amused.

Tenley's face grew serious for a moment. "Well, after being in that abandoned basement, I didn't know what Roger did..."

Flynn nodded, fully understanding her concerns after she explained it. His face showed his lingering question on his face.

"What?" she asked. "What are you thinking?"

Flynn finished cleaning the wound and began to ready the new bandage. He paused for a moment, looking at her. "You don't have to tell me," he began. "But...I overheard some of the conversation between you and Roger."

"What part?" she asked, unsure what he was referring to.

Flynn swallowed. "About your family..."

"Oh," she muttered.

He started to dress her wound. "You don't have to share but-"

"No," she interrupted. "It's not so much that..." He glanced at her face. She was staring up at the ceiling, almost afraid to look at him.

He stopped what he was doing. "Nine?" When she turned to look at him, he added, "You don't have to tell me. It's okay. Really."

She smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you..."

Flynn finished dressing her wound in silence. When he took his gloves off, tossing them into the bin, he turned to her. "Should I take you back to bed?"

Her heart skipped a beat at the simple phrasing, knowing full well that wasn't what he was inferring. She shook her head. "No," she replied, slight blush forming on her cheeks. "I think some walking around will do me some good." He narrowed his eyes at her, almost in a perfect mix of protest and curiosity. She added, "Don't worry, I'll take it easy, doc."

He smiled at her as he nodded. "I'm going to find Agent Christopher and inform her of what you've told me about the mission." Tenley nodded, giving her thanks for his willingness to do so. He stopped at her door, turning back to her. "I'm glad you're all right, Nine."

"Me too," she replied softly. She watched him leave the infirmary.

After Flynn had informed Agent Christopher and the others on what Tenley had shared with him, Denise pondered for a moment.

"So," she began. "Between her last mission to the mission you just returned from, Bloodstone had finally realized they've been targeting the wrong person?" Denise turned to Lucy. "Now they know which one of you is...you..."

Lucy nodded. "It would appear so," she replied. "What I don't understand though...is why would my mother want me dead?"

"Could be a trick," Wyatt suggested.

"Or she's finally had enough of your refusals," Rufus added.

Lucy shook her head. "My mother's been protecting me all this time-"

"Maybe it's Bloodstone," Mason mused out loud. "Maybe they're forcing her hand?"

"Have you found anything on them?" Flynn asked, looking to Denise. She shook her head. "This is getting ridiculous!" he shouted. "How can you not know?"

"Let's calm down," Lucy interjected. She knew she had to maintain peace for the team.

Flynn shook his head. "We don't know what we're up against anymore. They've tried to kill Tenley twice now thinking she's you!" he shouted, motioning to Lucy. "They might not fail next time!"

"I know you're angry," Denise stated. "But now is not the time to start falling apart as a team."

Lucy nodded in agreement. "We need to stick together in this... let's just take a moment to breathe. Okay?"

Flynn shook his head. "What we need to be doing is helping Homeland Security find the appropriate files on Bloodstone so we know who we're up against!"

The room grew silent after Flynn's outburst. No one could deny what he was saying. Everyone felt the same way. They were all feeling frustrated and defeated with every mission that they went to, feeling like they were three steps behind. They were tired of feeling like Bloodstone knew more about them than they did about Bloodstone and their ties to Rittenhouse.

It wasn't long before the meeting had concluded and everyone went off their separate ways. Agent Christopher decided to try again with her headquarters in hopes that something had come up. If anything, she'd try bringing back some of the files to sort through personally. She was concerned that they were running out of time to keep everyone safe and alive.

The next morning, Tenley's eyes opened to the familiar surroundings of her own room. She had chosen to stay in her room to give Flynn his room back, regardless of his protests. She assured him that she'd be okay.

The doctor pushed herself to her feet, standing up from the old couch and walked to the medicine cabinet. She grabbed some of the pain medications, wincing slightly as she reached up to the shelves. She took the pills and began to grab supplies to change her bandage.

When she saw the wound, she was impressed by the work that Jiya and Flynn had done on it. She wondered if she needed to even be in the bunker at all if they were well versed in first aid. She shook the doubts from her mind as she began placing the new bandage on.

The moment she had finished swapping out her bandages, alarms blared within the bunker. Tenley threw her trash into the bin and carefully headed towards the main area to see what the news was.

When she arrived to the main area, the team had already arrived, speaking about the mission. It didn't take long for Tenley to piece together what was happening.

"Lindbergh's a very important person in our history," Lucy stated. "He helped pioneer the routes for air travel that we use today...not to mention the fact that he helped develop the perfusion pump."

"What's a perfusion pump?" Wyatt asked.

Tenley spoke up, causing the team to look over at her, "It's a medical device that helped preserve organs outside the body...It was the precursor for the heart-lung machine that we use today."

The team studied the doctor before turning back to Lucy. Agent Christopher asked, "So, what do you think they'd want with him?"

Lucy shook her head. "I don't know..."

"Well," sighed Christopher. "You better head out there and find out." She scanned the group. "I think the usual team is necessary. Lucy, Wyatt, Rufus, and Flynn."

The team nodded as they began to disperse for the Lifeboat. Flynn's eyes landed on Tenley. She forced a reassuring smile at him as he turned to climb up the steps.

Once they disappeared from the bunker, Christopher turned to Tenley. She asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," Tenley replied. "It's good though, means I'm healing."

Denise patted Tenley's shoulder before walking by.

 **East Amwell, New Jersey, 1932**

"What's the plan here?" Wyatt asked as they navigated through the busy city streets.

Lucy sighed. "I think the first thing we need to do is track Charles Lindbergh down. If Rittenhouse or Bloodstone are targeting him, then the sooner we find him the better."

"And if he's not the target?" Wyatt questioned.

Lucy shook her head. "I don't know who else they'd be here for."

"So, what?" Rufus began. "Do we just ask someone where he is? Yellow pages?"

"Or we could just wait until he lands," Flynn remarked.

The team turned to Flynn to see him looking up into the sky. Their eyes drifted up into the blue to see a plane zipping by.

Lucy's eyes drifted back to Flynn. "Let's go."

The team arrived to the airfield just as the plane had landed. They watched as it drove further ahead, parking before the hangar. When the pilot climbed out of the cockpit, he removed his headgear.

Lucy couldn't contain her smile. Wyatt furrowed his brow at her. "Really?"

She shrugged. "I can't help it. He was an incredible person in his life..."

Flynn added, "He was also a ladies man. Had several affairs in every place he landed."

Wyatt shifted uncomfortably by the information shared. Lucy chuckled under her breath, saying no more about it. She began to walk towards the man.

As they neared, the pilot turned to see their approach. He smiled at Lucy. "Hello there," he began. "I don't think I've seen you around here before."

"We're from out of town," Lucy began, smile still on her face. "I'm - I mean, we're big fans of yours."

Charles Lindbergh's eyes darted around the team before settling on Lucy once more. "Pleasure is all mine." Before anyone could say anything more, he asked, "What brings you out this way?"

"We wanted to see you fly," Lucy stated. She motioned to the plane. "This is an amazing plane."

Charles turned to look at his plane, smile wide on his face. "I've spent a lot of time in her." Rufus smirked. The man turned back around. "I'm sorry, I don't believe I caught your name."

Lucy blushed slightly, which didn't go unnoticed by Wyatt. "I'm Lucy." Charles took her outstretched hand, kissing the top of her knuckles. Lucy suppressed a large smile as she said, "This is Flynn, Wyatt, and Rufus."

Charles shook their hands as the introductions were concluded. "Nice to meet all of you." His eyes lifted to see another man waving him over. "I'm terribly sorry, but I must be going. I'm quite a busy man."

"Will we see you again?" Lucy asked.

Charles smiled. "I'd like that." He waved at the man waiting for him, to let him know that he'd be right there. "Come to my house. I'll have my wife prepare a meal for all of us." He winked at Lucy as he walked by.

Wyatt muttered, "He's a tool."

Lucy smacked his arm. "Be nice."

Flynn smirked. "Trouble in paradise?" he whispered to Wyatt.

That evening, the team had found themselves on the front step of Charles Lindbergh's house. They rang the bell and waited.

Rufus asked, "What are we doing here?"

"Keeping an eye on him," Lucy replied.

"Is that what we're doing?" Wyatt mumbled, scowl on his face.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you that your face will stay that way if you keep making that face?" Flynn joked.

Wyatt turned his scowl over to Flynn, clearly un-amused.

Before a fight could break out, the door opened. Standing before them was a very beautiful young woman. She smiled at the four. "Please," she said. "Come in." She motioned for them to enter the house. She added, "You'll have to forgive my husband, he hasn't come home just yet."

"Oh?" Lucy asked. "Does he usually work this late?"

The wife waved the remark aside. "You know how it goes," she started. "He's so busy, what, with his flights, interviews, press releases, and medical experiments, he's often late coming home these days, I'm afraid. I'm Anne." She extended her hand to the group.

Lucy was the first to shake her hand as she introduced the rest of the team to Anne. When they were finished, Anne allowed them to sit in the main room of the house. She left them to get drinks.

Wyatt questioned, "What do you think? Is what she saying about his reasons being late make sense?"

Lucy shrugged. "I think so," she mused as she studied the pictures on the mantle. There was a photograph of Charles with his son, Charles Jr. Suddenly, her face paled.

Flynn noticed it. "What's wrong?"

She turned around and asked, "What's the date? The specific date?"

Anne came into the room, answering, "February 28th."

Lucy blinked back to reality, smiling as she took the offered drink from Anne. "Thank you so much."

Anne continued to pass drinks to the team. "How do you know my husband?"

Wyatt replied, "We were able to witness his morning flight this morning."

Lucy quickly added, "We are reporters from out of town, who were very interested in speaking with him."

"All four of you?" she asked, eyes landing on Rufus.

Flynn quickly stated, "We're trialing a Negro reporter to extend our reader base."

"Oh," Anne muttered, forcing a smile at Rufus. "That's...very nice. You must be so proud."

Lucy's eyes darted over to Rufus. She could tell that he was trying hard not to roll his eyes at the conversation. It was clear that his frustration was apparent.

Crying could be heard in the other room. Anne sighed, setting her drink onto the table. "The call of the wild," she laughed. "Excuse me. I'll be right back."

Once Anne excused herself from the room, Lucy whirled around to address the team. "According to history, a man named Bruno Hauptmann kidnaps their son, Charles Jr. and holds him for ransom, but he ends up taking the ransom money and killing the boy anyways."

"Why?" Wyatt asked. "What's the point of doing such a thing?"

"How old is this kid?" Rufus asked, seemingly appalled.

Lucy's face fell. "He's only 20 months old."

Flynn gritted his teeth. He was growing weary of being on missions where young children were targets. He didn't understand people at times.

"So," Wyatt began. "You think Rittenhouse or Bloodstone care about this kid?"

Lucy shrugged. "I don't know. I do know that the Lindberghs flee the US for the UK afterwards...if they are after him, they might use this kidnapping as the perfect distraction."

"What ever happened to this...Bruno?" Wyatt questioned.

Lucy spoke in a hushed tone, "He was put on trial and executed. The only good thing that came from this was it created the Lindbergh Law, which made kidnapping a federal offense if the victim is taken across state lines or a ransom is demanded."

Flynn suggested, "Perhaps we should find this Bruno before this kidnapping happens?"

Wyatt nodded. "Could work-"

"Except you don't know where he is-" Lucy began. "Besides, the law that stemmed from this is important-"

"Look at the picture of that kid and tell me that you want to see his life end?" Wyatt hissed.

Anne returned into the room, carrying her son. The boy's curly blond locks bounced on his head, blue eyes shining brightly at the team. He gurgled a giggle, arms reaching outwards towards the team.

Anne smiled. "Sorry, I hope you don't mind. He just can't seem to sleep very well."

"Oh, that's all right," Lucy replied. "He's beautiful."

"Thank you," Anne began. "Do you want to hold him?" She saw his outstretched arms and added, "He seems to like you lot. He's never done this before."

Lucy took the baby from Anne. She smiled and bounced him in her arms. "He's just beautiful."

"You're a natural," Anne said with a smile. She turned to Wyatt and asked, "When are you going to start for your own?"

Lucy and Wyatt exchanged glances. Wyatt stumbled with his words, "Oh, we're not-"

"We haven't discussed it," Lucy quickly interjected. "We've been very busy with our work that starting a family hasn't become a priority."

Anne suppressed a laugh. "Well, don't wait too long. You might miss the opportunity." She turned to Flynn and asked, "Do you have children?"

Flynn nodded. "A daughter."

"Oh," Anne sighed. "I'd love to have a little girl someday."

The front door opened and Charles walked in. His eyes locked onto the group in the main room. He smiled at everyone as he closed the door behind him. "Sorry for my delay. I've been working in the hangar."

"It's quite all right, dear," Anne replied. "Are you hungry?" she asked the group. "Dinner is ready."

Charles approached Lucy, giving his son a quick kiss on the top of his curls, smiling at Lucy as he passed by her into the dining room.

Lucy carried the boy into the dining room, behind the rest of the group.

During dinner, Charles had gone into a long winded conversation about his flights and tours. He told stories about the places he had been and the people he had met along the way.

Hours had gone by before the team were asked to leave for the night. Charles invited them back to the house the next evening to continue the discussions.

On the walk back into town, Wyatt asked, "So, what do we do?"

"I think we try to find this Bruno," Flynn suggested. "See what his motivation behind kidnapping a baby would be."

Wyatt nodded. "I can go with Lucy-"

Flynn shook his head. "I think it makes more sense for you and Lucy to return here tomorrow." Lucy glanced up at Flynn, stunned he was suggesting she go with Wyatt. Flynn added, "I'll go with Rufus to find this Bruno."

Rufus muttered, "What does Rufus want?"

Wyatt nodded in agreement with Flynn's plan, still surprised at the offer for him to go with Lucy instead of Flynn.


	29. Danger In The Forest

The next morning, Flynn and Rufus headed into town to ask around for any leads on this German man who seemed to be showing interest in the Lindbergh family.

They started in the same place they always seemed to start; the bar. The barkeep stated that there were a lot of foreigners in town lately. He couldn't keep track of all of them. He suggested that they go to the airfield to watch Charles Lindbergh's demonstration. He believed that many of the people who might be in town for the flight would be there.

Flynn thanked the barkeep and the two headed outside.

Rufus asked, "What do you think? Should be head to the airfield?"

Flynn's eyes scanned the streets. No one immediately stood out to him as being suspicious. He nodded. "Let's start making our way out there, but keep your eyes open," he ordered. "If you see anyone that doesn't seem to fit in around here, let me know."

"Oh, like them?" Rufus asked, pointing to the window.

Flynn's eyes darted over to see their reflections. He rolled his eyes, walking down the street.

Rufus laughed. "Come on, that was funny."

Lucy and Wyatt returned to the house. Anne had invited them outside to the gardens. Charles Jr. was playing in the shaded grass.

Anne smiled at the two. "It's refreshing to meet decent folk," she stated. "It's been a while since I've had tea with anyone."

"Do you not have any friends?" Lucy asked.

Anne shook her head. "Not many these days, I'm afraid."

"Why is that?" Lucy asked, showing concern.

Anne shook her head. "We've been moving about so much...not to mention the people who are interested in my husband's work..." her voice softened. "Or my husband."

Lucy nodded, understanding her words. "I understand what you mean," she admitted. When Anne's eyes darted to Wyatt then back to Lucy, Lucy added, "I've had my fair share of women who've done the same to my husband."

Wyatt smiled. "I've tried to explain to these women that I'm off the market-"

"I wish Charles would tell women that," Anne stated. "He's less inclined to say that to them." They could see the pain in her eyes. She shook her head. "Listen to me whine like a child. I'm sorry."

Lucy offered a warm smile. "It's okay. Really. If you can't talk to friends, who can you talk to?"

Anne released a short chuckle. "Thank you. Oh, it's time for his nap. I'll be right back." Anne stood up and grabbed the baby off the lawn, carrying him into the house.

Wyatt's eyes scanned the garden and house. He asked, "Does it say how this kid was kidnapped?"

Lucy nodded. "He was taken straight out of his crib. It's supposed to happen tonight."

Wyatt studied the house. "Which room is the kid's?"

Lucy shook her head. "I don't know...it has to be one of these over here." She pointed to the back of the house on the bottom level. She added, "The weird thing is... he was kidnapped on March 1st, but the ransom wasn't collected until April 2nd...then they found his body on May 12th, not far from here in these woods."

Wyatt's eyes scanned the woods behind the house. "Do you think there's any reason to suspect that this is the work of Bloodstone?"

Lucy's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Wyatt sighed. "I don't know, it's just speculation, but..." He turned back to her, leaning closely to speak softer. "Think about it... Bloodstone kidnapped Mata Hari. They kidnapped Poe's wife and who knows how many others that we don't know about."

"Wait," Lucy began. "You think they're taking people from important moments in history?" Wyatt nodded with a shrug. "What's the reason for that?"

Wyatt shook his head. "It's a guess," he admitted. "Maybe I'm way off base, but they want you too."

Lucy's eyebrows darted up briefly as she listened to him. "Yeah, but who's to say that it's not because I'm Rittenhouse royalty?"

Wyatt thought for a moment and muttered, "I wonder..."

Lucy raised an eyebrow at him. "You wonder what?"

Wyatt knitted his brows together. "Remember when Anne brought the baby out to meet us last night?" Lucy nodded, thinking back on the night. He continued, "He behaved as though he's seen us before."

Lucy's eyes widened as she figured out what he was thinking. "You think he sees visions too?"

Wyatt didn't have a chance to reply to because Anne returned to them. They smiled at Anne as she approached.

Anne sat down at their table again. "Thank you for being so patient," she said. "Charles has a demonstration later this afternoon. Are you not interested in seeing it?"

"Our friends from last night are going there to cover it," Lucy admitted. "We were thrilled to spend more time getting to know you."

Anne smiled back. "It's nice to have friends again. I had forgotten what it was like." She raised her tea cup to her lips and sipped.

At the airfield, Rufus and Flynn continued to search for Bruno. So far, they hadn't had much luck. The airfield was packed with people who had come from town and nearby areas to watch Charles Lindbergh fly.

As the townsfolk were busy staring up at the sky, Flynn and Rufus continued pushing through the crowds in hopes of overhearing someone who didn't belong.

"He's simply amazing!" someone announced within the crowd.

"To think that woman, Earhart, thinks she can be like him," tsked another bystander.

Rufus and Flynn stopped, scanning the crowds once more. Rufus asked, "Do you think that this man is even here?"

Flynn's brows knitted together. "No."

"So, what do we do?" Rufus asked.

Flynn eyed Rufus out of the corner of periphery. "Maybe we're looking in the wrong place..."

Rufus thought for a moment. His brown eyes darted among the gathered people. Movement caught his eye, forcing him to concentrate on the figure. The way the woman moved had seemed familiar to him. Once he had seen the fiery red hair, he smacked Flynn on the shoulder, pointing quickly across the yard. "That's Emma!"

Flynn whipped his head over to see what Rufus had witnessed. His eyes narrowed at the sight of her. "Come on."

The two rushed towards the hangar where Emma had been spotted. Carefully, the two peered into the empty hangar. No one was inside.

Rufus whispered, "I know I saw her...you saw her, right?" Flynn nodded slowly, still on the defensive, gun drawn. Rufus added, "It's like she vanished into thin air..."

Flynn entered the empty hangar, Rufus close behind them. They scanned the room. There had only been one way inside and one way outside of the building. They had seen her enter, but they didn't see her leave.

A thought suddenly came to Rufus. "What if she had the Mothership here and left before we could confront her?"

Flynn mulled the idea over in his head. He couldn't disagree with the man. It was the best theory they had at the moment. Flynn holstered his weapon, turning to Rufus. "We better find Lucy and Wyatt."

That evening, the team had regrouped in the garden of the Lindbergh residence. Anne was inside with Charles Jr. making dinner, while the elder Charles was on his way home.

Rufus explained to Lucy and Wyatt what he and Flynn had discovered while at the airstrip.

Wyatt asked, "How is that possible?"

Rufus stated, "It could be that they sent a team here, which triggered our arrival, then Emma came back to do...who knows what, leaving just in time to avoid us."

"But we wouldn't know about the second jump to this date because we're already here?" Wyatt asked, trying to keep up.

Rufus nodded. "It makes sense... they could be distracting us from the bigger plan."

"Which is?" Wyatt questioned. Rufus shrugged. Sighing, Wyatt asked, "Okay, so what do we do?"

Lucy was deep in thought, staring out into the darkening woods. "What if this Bruno guy is part of Rittenhouse?" The team turned to her, giving her their undivided attention. She continued, "What if they sent a sleeper here to kidnap the baby because he has visions?"

Rufus and Flynn's eyes widened. Lucy motioned towards Wyatt and stated, "He's the one who came up with that theory."

The two were about to question Wyatt when the man offered up his explanation. Once they heard the thought process Wyatt had about the baby, they nodded in agreement. It was the best idea they had for this peculiar situation.

Lucy continued, "If Rittenhouse or Bloodstone are keen on killing those who can see the future, and if this baby has the ability...then..."

"Then let's search the woods," Flynn suggested. He studied the dark woods surrounding them. "If the sleeper is coming, this is the direction that makes the most sense. It keeps them hidden until it's too late."

Wyatt nodded in agreement. "I'll go with you."

Flynn turned towards Lucy and Rufus. "You two stay here and keep an eye out for anyone suspicious."

With that said, the two headed off into the dark woods. Lucy and Rufus watched as the two disappeared into the night.

Lucy and Rufus headed back inside. Anne welcomed them with a smile, offering a drink and small hors d'oeuvres.

"What happened to your friend and husband?" Anne asked, setting another plate of small bites on the table.

Lucy replied, "They went for a walk." Rufus forced an awkward smile at Anne.

Rufus stood up and carried his dirty glass back into the kitchen. Peering out of the window, he saw a silhouette of a man staring at the house. His eyes widened as the shadow crept back into the trees.

"What I wouldn't give for a cell phone right about now," Rufus muttered. He kept his eyes fixed on the spot where he had seen the shadow.

Sensing something was wrong, Lucy approached him. "What's going on?"

Rufus didn't blink as he said, "There was a shadow just there on the edge of the tree line."

"Wyatt or Flynn?" Lucy asked. Rufus shook his head. Lucy asked, "What do we do?"

Rufus shrugged. "Grab the baby before they do?"

Lucy whirled around and rushed to the baby's room. Anne watched as Lucy rushed towards the baby's room. "What are you doing?" Anne shouted after her. "He's sleeping!"

Anne followed Lucy into Charles Jr.'s room. The moment both were inside, Anne screamed, breaking Rufus's gaze outside. He ran towards them.

Standing inside the nursery was the man that Rufus had seen outside moments earlier. Anne demanded, "Who are you? What do you want?"

Lucy could see that the baby was still in the crib. The man hadn't gotten to him yet. She began to inch towards the crib, but the man held a gun out, stopping her. She raised her hands defensively.

Rufus stopped in the doorframe. "Listen man, you don't want to do this."

The man eyed the three standing there. He didn't speak, but he didn't look like the kind of man who would listen to words of reason either.

Rufus swallowed, stepping in front of the women. He raised his hands defensively. "Are you Bruno?"

The man's face twitched with recognition. He remained silent.

Rufus continued, "Are you here because of Rittenhouse?" No answer, no ticks. "Bloodstone?"

The man's eyes narrowed at Rufus, body tensing at the name.

Rufus nodded. "Okay, so you're a Bloodstone man... what do you want with the baby?"

The man aimed the gun at Rufus, then turned his attention to Lucy.

Rufus side stepped in front of Lucy, redirecting the aim back onto himself. "Hey...let's just work this out, man to man, okay?"

Lucy had continued to inch her way towards the baby who had woken up. It was apparent to Lucy that what Rufus had theorized was in probably truth given how the kid behaved. The kid's behavior went beyond the scope of a normal frightened child. He wasn't crying at the sight of a strange man with a gun, looming nearby in his room. He had climbed to the edge of his bed, nearest to Lucy, arms stretched out, almost in anticipation for her to grab him. For a 20 month old baby, he was incredibly calm and collected.

Lucy was near enough to grab the baby out of his bed, but knew that she needed to wait until the right moment to grab him. If she went for him too soon, she risked the lives of everyone in the room, not just hers or the baby's.

Rufus tried to keep himself between the crib and Bruno. He kept trying to speak to the man, but Bruno wasn't responding to words. The gun was trained on Lucy.

The slam of the front door had alerted everyone that the elder Charles had arrived home. "Where is everyone?" he shouted from the main room.

Anne was stifling her sobs. Footsteps were coming down the hallway. Bruno had turned his attention from Rufus towards the bedroom door.

Taking the chance, at the same time, Rufus rushed Bruno, grabbing the gun while Lucy snatched the baby from the crib, pushing Anne into the hallway.

The three tumbled into the hall. Charles caught Lucy and the baby as they stumbled out. His eyes darted into the nursery to see Rufus and Bruno struggling to gain control of the firearm.

Lucy's eyes lifted to see Wyatt and Flynn running down the hallway, entering the fray inside the small room.

Anne sobbed on the floor of the hallway, unable to stand any longer. Lucy sat down next to her, handing Charles Jr. over to her for comfort. Anne had a death grip on her son, cradling him. The baby still didn't cry, but almost comforted his mother instead.

Rufus managed to knock Bruno back far enough for Wyatt and Flynn to take over the fight. Wyatt demanded answers from the man, but even his questions had gone unanswered.

Charles turned towards the main room, grabbing the phone to call the police. The moment he finished his phone call, Flynn and Wyatt had secured Bruno in a chair to wait for his arrest.

While they waited, Charles and Anne took their son into their bedroom to sleep. The team could hear Charles consoling Anne. He promised to get them out of the country, out of the limelight, to protect their family from his crazed fans.

The team turned their attention back to Bruno. Flynn began asking him questions in German, hoping to get the man to speak up. The man eyed Lucy. Flynn smacked the man, telling him to stop staring at her.

Lucy studied Bruno. She approached cautiously. "Do you know who I am?" The man nodded. "Did my mother send you?" she asked. The man shook his head. "Who do you work for?" The man looked away from her.

Flynn sighed. "I think this is the work of Rittenhouse, not Bloodstone."

"Why do you think that?" she asked him, as they stepped away from Bruno to speak privately.

Flynn mused, "Every time we've seen Bloodstone, they've come at us with groups of four well-dressed men. Rufus and I saw Emma at the airstrip... and then we have Bruno here," he said, motioning to the tied up man next to them. "Whatever Rittenhouse and Bloodstone are doing, they seem to have different approaches to their behaviors."

Lucy took in what Flynn was saying, nodding as he spoke. He was making valid points. She pointed out, "But it's Bloodstone who's been after the people who have visions... why would Rittenhouse take the sudden interest?"

Flynn shrugged. "This might just be coincidence."

Charles and Anne reemerged from their room. Charles announced, "The police should be here any moment." He turned to the team. "I'm grateful that you were here for my family... how can I ever repay you?"

Lucy shook her head. "There's isn't anything we need..." she paused, thinking for a moment. "Actually," she began. "There is one thing."

"Name it and it's yours," Charles stated.

"Take what's happened here and make a law to make kidnapping a federal offense," Lucy suggested. "It will help others in the future."

Charles thought it over. "Law, huh? I never thought about that avenue before."

A knock landed on the door. Anne went to answer it and the police entered the home. They began taking statements from everyone inside. Once they were finished, they escorted Bruno to their car.

The team exited the house, ready to head out for their own time. Lucy's eyes scanned the ogling neighbors who had come out of their homes to watch the scene unfold. Her eyes landed on a familiar scowl in the crowd. It was Emma.

Lucy was about to say something to the team, but the moment she reached out for Wyatt, Emma had vanished into the crowds.


	30. The Stage Is Set

**Present Day**

The Lifeboat landed with a clank; whirring slowly and stopped as the gust of air dissipated in the bunker. The hatch to the machine opened and the team within slowly emerged.

"What happened?" Agent Christopher asked as she eyed each member upon their descent.

Lucy shook her head, seemingly confused. "I don't know if we have an easy explanation for what just happened."

Agent Christopher glanced about the team, waiting for someone to explain. Lucy tried her best to catch Agent Christopher up to speed on everything that had happened on the mission. When she finished, it seemed that Agent Christopher had fully understood the confusion that Lucy had when they returned. Denise had ordered the team to get some rest while they could.

As the team went their own directions, Flynn stopped by the infirmary to check in with Tenley.

The door to the infirmary had been left open, so Flynn entered without knocking. His eyes landed on Tenley, who was sitting at her small table, typing madly away on her laptop. He stood there in silence for a moment, watching as she was deep in focus.

Her dark eyes drifted up from her screen and landed on him. She smiled. "Hey..."

"Hey," he replied with a small smile. "I came to see how you're doing."

She closed the laptop. "I'm sore, but I'm hanging in there." She studied him for a moment. "How'd it go?"

He shrugged. "As well as it could, I suppose."

She narrowed her eyes at him in question. "Do I dare ask what that means?"

He shook his head. "Nothing of great consequence happened there," he reassured her.

She nodded. "That's good."

An awkward silence fell upon the room as they stared at each other. Flynn finally turned towards the door. "I should get cleaned up."

Tenley smiled at him one more time as he took his leave from the room. Once he was out of the room, she opened the laptop again.

She had gotten several emails from Tim, most of which had been filling her in on his recent medical endeavors overseas. He had asked her for her expertise in some areas, which she willingly helped him with. So far, all of his emails had been strictly professional.

This last email, however, he had been asking her medical questions that she knew had nothing to do with his professional life. When she asked him why he was asking her questions about dementia and other mental diseases, he had struggled to answer.

It turned out that Tim's mother had been suffering from some form of dementia. There were so many different levels of dementia that it was hard to pinpoint which his mother was experiencing. He had been quite vague in his history. Out of respect, Tenley didn't push him into sharing.

He did state that he had placed her into a hospice home, but his mother continued to escape. They'd find her in the oddest places, and he was being pulled in to help bring her back. Tenley discovered that he was living in a city near the bunker so he could continue to help with his mother.

She helped him as best as she could, providing answers to his questions. She knew that he had a very basic understanding of medicine, and seemed desperate for help. She explained that he could email her any time and she'd try her best to offer solutions to his situation.

Tenley was in the middle of replying when Flynn had returned, halting her thoughts. She had reread what she was typing before remembering where she was. Once her email had been completed, she hit send.

Realizing the amount of time that had passed, Tenley stood up and grabbed the supplies needed to swap out her bandage. It didn't take her long to change the dressings and get things cleaned and reorganized.

Things had become quiet over the next several weeks; so much so that the team had started to become restless.

Tenley's wound had healed up nicely. She no longer needed to swap out the bandages. She kept herself relatively busy with her emails to Tim during the slow moments of the day.

Jiya had tried to get the team to play games, but something had been weighing on their minds. No one seemed to be in the playing mood, so Jiya had spent most of her time watching movies with Rufus or reading.

Agent Christopher had been trying to dig up information on Bloodstone and had been hitting a lot of walls and red tape. She had been fighting her bosses on getting access to documents that might prove to be essential in discovering their enemy's motives.

Flynn had holed himself up in his room, popping into the infirmary occasionally to check on Tenley, despite her healed wound.

Wyatt and Lucy spent time together, trying to determine the changes in history during the times they had traveled to. Their latest mission had them reading up on what Charles Lindbergh did after they left. He had retired from flying and focused on medical and law advancements. He not only successfully instilled the Lindbergh Law to make any kidnapping with ransom a federal felony, but he also worked on laws to allow homeowners the ability to protect themselves against stalkers and intruders. Charles and another man had created the Make My Day Law. Wyatt was familiar with the law before the altered history. It didn't originally take effect until the mid 1980s and only in Colorado. Now that Charles Lindbergh got involved, it was in every state since the 1940s.

Connor Mason was spending his spare time either with his nose in his books or tinkering with the Lifeboat. He had ideas up his sleeves - ideas that he didn't want to share with anyone until they came to fruition. He preferred the big reveal once things had come together.

Just as the bunker began to reach that level of cabin fever and unrest, the alarms blared throughout the halls, notifying the inhabitants that they were due to jump back through time and space.

As the team gathered in the main room, clacking of the keyboard could be heard. Jiya announced, "They've jumped to New Orleans, 1834."

Lucy shook her head, confused. "There's nothing..." she began to say. The wheels inside her head were churning as she tried hard to think of anything relevant to share.

Agent Christopher studied the historian. "This might be a distraction..." She turned to address the rest of the team. "Go. Check it out but be careful. I don't want another incident like last time."

All eyes had turned to Tenley. The doctor shifted in her spot from the attention. The usual crew piled into the Lifeboat. Whirring picked up, the air inside the bunker shifted, and then, the machine vanished.

 **1834**

The team walked down the dirt roads of New Orleans. It was as lively as ever. The smells from the bakeries and restaurants overwhelmed their noses, making their mouths water with desire. There were several beautiful houses and hotels that lined the street.

"Any ideas on what we're doing here?" Wyatt asked, scanning the old street.

Lucy shook her head. "I'm still trying to figure that out myself."

Rufus tensed as he saw several unsavory looking individuals staring at him. "Whatever it is, let's stick together this time, okay? I'm not sure how safe it's going to be for me to be here-"

"You'll be fine," Wyatt reassured.

"Yes," Flynn began. "We could call you our slave, if you want to blend in."

Rufus glared at Flynn. "I hate history..."

They stopped in a small secluded spot off the main road to discuss their next move. There hadn't been any obvious reasons for them to be in this time.

Rufus glanced out into the street. His eyes met those familiar cold ones of Emma. He blinked at her. "Uh, guys? That's Emma!"

The team whirled around to see where he was looking. They spotted Emma, dressed in Victorian clothing, staring at them. Flynn and Wyatt took off after Emma. Lucy and Rufus protested, but followed in suit to keep together.

Emma expertly navigated through the busy street, avoiding the pedestrians that littered the main stretch of road.

Wyatt and Flynn weren't as successful. With each stranger they bumped into, Emma got further away from them. By the time they reached the crossroads, Emma had vanished seemingly into thin air.

Wyatt and Flynn glanced about the streets. She was gone. The two rejoined Lucy a few blocks away. Wyatt announced, "She's gone...we lost her." Wyatt looked around the immediate area for a moment before looking at Lucy. "Where's Rufus?"

She shook her head. "He was right here..."

"You lost him?" Wyatt asked, stunned.

She recoiled at his reaction. "I didn't lose him...he was right here!"

"Then where is he?" Wyatt retorted. "We got to find him. Come on."

The three headed down the streets in search of any signs of Rufus or from Rufus.

Hours had passed and there wasn't a single clue as to where Rufus had disappeared to. Lucy knew that there'd be no way to ask anyone about whether or not they had seen him because no one paid any attention to the black community. They were slaves - property - and no one would bat an eyelash at one disappearing...not here.

Flynn sighed. "We should focus our efforts on finding Emma. If we find her, maybe we can find Rufus at the same time."

"You think Emma took Rufus?" Wyatt asked, showing his frustration.

Flynn didn't acknowledge Wyatt's frustration. He started to scan the street in hopes of inspiration striking him on where to go.

Wyatt sighed. "We were chasing her down the street. There's no way that she managed to circle around us to capture Rufus."

Flynn started to walk away from the two. Lucy followed Flynn. She asked, "What are you going to do?"

Flynn replied, "We have to find one of them... Emma wouldn't be here alone. If her running away was the distraction they needed to capture _our_ pilot, then we need to find her."

Wyatt had trailed behind the two. To say that he was angry was an understatement. As they continued down the street, a crowd had gathered near a small stage. They stopped to observe what was taking place.

A short, fat, and balding white man had taken the stage. He opened his arms out to his sides, very dramatically. He shouted for all to hear, "Gather around! Don't be shy! I have some wonderful new items for you!"

Flynn rolled his eyes, groaning as he looked away. Lucy furrowed her brow, shifting her attention from the stage to Flynn. Wyatt seemed confused. He asked, "What's going on?"

Lucy mumbled, "It's an auction."

Before Wyatt could ask any further questions, Flynn added, "For slaves."

The three observed the crowd growing in size. The auctioneer seemed pleased with the turnout. He began to auction off some of the slaves he had standing behind him on the stage.

After a few minutes of watching, Wyatt mumbled, "We're wasting time. Let's go."

Lucy's eyes landed on a familiar frame being pulled onto the stage. She grabbed Wyatt's arm. "Wait! There's Rufus!"

The three focused on the stage. Standing next to the auctioneer was Rufus. He had a black eye, hands and feet were bound in chains. People started to bid, but one individual shouted out and no other bids were placed. The auctioneer seemed pleased with the large sum that the person had offered up in place of Rufus.

When Rufus was pushed to the bottom of the stage, the team followed. They watched as Rufus and four others were led down the dark street.

A few blocks away from where the auction had taken place, the team followed Rufus and the others to a large building that sat on the corner. They were escorted inside.

Wyatt asked, "What's the game plan here?"

"Well," Lucy began. "We can't exactly go rushing inside... we'll need to find out who lives here and try to work something out."

Flynn and Wyatt exchanged glances. They didn't agree with the plan. Lucy knew they didn't like it, but they had no choice.

The next morning, the team had asked around to find out what they could about the owner of the mansion that Rufus had been taken into. The moment the owner's name was revealed, Lucy paled.

Outside, Lucy sat down, trying to keep calm. Flynn and Wyatt waited patiently for her to regain her composure. She finally collected herself and explained, "They said the place was owned by the LaLauries."

Wyatt shrugged, not knowing the name. Flynn scanned the street, still hoping to spot Emma.

Lucy continued, "The madam of the place, Delphine LaLaurie was a horrible woman to her slaves. She tortured them, chained them to the walls, and murdered them for doing things wrong..."

"What do you mean, doing things wrong? Like what?" Wyatt questioned.

Lucy held his gaze. "A little girl was brushing Delphine's hair and the brush snagged on the hair. Delphine grabbed a whip and was about to beat the girl senseless."

"About to?" Wyatt asked, waiting to hear what happened. Even Flynn turned his attention back to Lucy.

She stated, "The girl feared the punishment and jumped off the roof."

"And the police didn't do anything?" Wyatt questioned.

Lucy shook her head. "We have to do this tactfully. If Rufus is to survive that place, we have to be careful on our approach."

Wyatt extended his hand towards Lucy, who took it. He pulled her to her feet and they began their approach to the LaLaurie mansion. As they neared, they heard a cry for help down the alley near the mansion.

The three headed into the alley to investigate. Wyatt spotted a man with a modern gun in his hand, pushing a young woman against the wall, holding her in place. His gun started to raise up to her head. Wyatt could see the man saying something to the girl, but he couldn't make out the words.

Instinct kicked in and Wyatt withdrew his gun, charging the man, shouting, "Drop your weapon!"

The man whirled around towards Wyatt. He raised his gun in Wyatt's direction, firing a couple of rounds as he disappeared down the alleyway.

The bullets ricocheted off the stone walls, causing Flynn to pull Lucy to the ground for cover. Wyatt rushed around the corner, chasing the man. The man had disappeared from sight.

Wyatt turned his attention back around to the young girl that had been corner. Flynn helped Lucy back to her feet while Wyatt approached the girl. "Are you all right?"

The girl nodded. "Yes, thank you," she replied with a shaky voice. She glanced between the three. "Who are you?"

"We're just passersby," Wyatt stated, laying the southern accent on thick. "We heard you cry out and came to investigate."

"I'm lucky you did!" the girl exclaimed. "How can I repay you?"

"What's your name, darling?" he asked. Lucy held back an eye roll; Flynn didn't.

The girl smiled up at him. "Marie Louise Pauline Blanque," she introduced herself.

"That's quite a mouthful," Wyatt replied, smile still on his face.

Lucy's brows twitched at the name. She asked, "Are you related to Jean Blanque?"

The girl turned her attention to Lucy, nodding. "Yes, he's my father," she replied. "Did you know him?"

"I knew of him," Lucy recovered. "You live here with your mother now?"

Marie nodded. "With my sister, Louise Marie Laure."

Wyatt shook his head at the names these girls had. He wondered what the other siblings were called.

Marie smiled at the three. "Please, come home and meet my mother! She'll be ever grateful for your services to me!"

Lucy smiled back. "We'd be delighted."

Marie led the way out of the alleyway. Wyatt whispered, "What are we doing?"

Flynn sighed. "Lucy just got us an invitation inside, thanks to you."

"I didn't do anything," Wyatt mumbled.

"No," Flynn replied. "Your charm did all the work."

Wyatt narrowed his eyes at Flynn, gritting his teeth. They followed Marie to the door of the LaLaurie estate.


	31. The Place Of All Fears

**A/N: Thank you everyone for your reads, follows, reviews, etc. I appreciate all the kind words and support. I hope I can continue to keep you reading.**

 **Cheers!**

* * *

Inside the LaLaurie mansion, everything was pristine and orderly. There were a few slaves dressed in elegant attire, standing at the ready for waiting on the Madame of the house.

Marie motioned for them to follow her deeper into the house. When they rounded the corner into the sitting room, they were amazed at the splendor of the house - black and white marble lined the vestibule floors, curved mahogany railed staircase ran all the way up all three floors of the mansion, ornamented sliding doors with walls decorated in plaster rosettes, carved woodwork, black marble mantles, and fluted pilasters throughout. The mansion proved that this was the richest family on Royal Street.

"Mother," Marie began. "I'd like you to meet someone."

Marie's mother looked up from her tea. Her eyes landed on the team and studied them. Carefully, she set her tea cup down and waited on her daughter to make the introductions.

Marie explained to Delphine about her attack in the alley nearby and how Wyatt and his friends came rushing into action to protect her. Delphine smiled at Wyatt, offering him a place to sit down.

Delphine looked to Marie and asked, "What were you doing in that alley to begin with?"

Marie shook her head. "I was walking passed. I didn't willingly go into that alley!"

"What did that man want with you?" Delphine asked.

"He wanted one of our slaves," Marie replied.

The team exchanged glances. They knew which slave the man wanted; Rufus. They had scanned the room and the halls that they could see easily from their spots, but Rufus was no where to be found.

One of the slaves that had been at the front door came into the room, bowing slightly before interrupting the conversation. "Madame? There's a man here to see you."

"What man?" Delphine asked.

"It's a lawyer, Madame," the man replied. Lucy could see the fear in the man's eyes as he spoke.

"Show him in," Delphine ordered. She turned to the team and said, "I am sorry that you have to be here for this."

Lucy asked, "Is anything the matter?"

Delphine swatted the air. "We have the occasional visits from local lawyers who've heard stories about the way we treat our slaves. People like to gossip and spread the rumors that we mistreat out slaves. It's another young and new lawyer who's come to investigate for himself."

The lawyer entered the room, bowing before the room. "Madame LaLaurie. My name is Henry Abrams. I'm a lawyer-"

"What can I do for you, Mr. Abrams?" Delphine asked sweetly. "As you can see, my company and I are having tea. Would you care to join us?"

The man shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I do have some important business to tend to..." His voice trailed off at the sight of Marie. He swallowed hard before adverting his eyes back to his shoes. "I've been asked to investigate the home to find any signs of mistreatment with your slaves."

Delphine motioned to the house. "Please, feel free to explore and do your investigation. We have nothing to hide. Once you're satisfied, Mr. Abrams, perhaps you'd like to join us as we finish up our tea."

Mr. Abrams bowed and headed out of the room in search of any kind of evidence that supported the claims that had brought him to the mansion.

Lucy considered following him to tell him the truth of the mansion's dark secrets, but Delphine had started to speak. "Are you from around here?"

Lucy's eyes darted over to Delphine to see who she was speaking to. When her brown eyes met the stern gray ones of the Madame, she shook her head. "Unfortunately we're not, but we are looking to relocate down here."

"How lovely," Delphine replied. "What is it that your husband does?"

Flynn cleared his throat, laying a gentle hand over Lucy's shoulder. "I am what you'd consider new money, Madame. I own several silver mines up in the Rockies."

Delphine smiled. "Tis a shame it's not gold," she replied. She turned to Lucy and added, "Isn't it?" Lucy just smiled and forced a small laugh.

Delphine's eyes turned to Wyatt. "And you, sir? You're not married?"

Wyatt shook his head. "No, ma'am. I'm not married."

"What do you do?" she questioned. Marie turned her attention over to Wyatt, showing keen interest.

Wyatt's eyes darted over to Lucy, wondering what he should say. He replied, "I'm an officer."

"Oh," Delphine sighed. "Well, that's nice. My first husband was an officer."

Before anyone else could speak, Mr. Abrams returned to the sitting room. He looked ashamed and slightly disappointed. Delphine looked up to see him enter. "Have you found anything to your liking, Mr. Abrams?" she questioned, hiding her smile behind her tea cup.

Mr. Abrams shook his head. "I am terribly sorry for the intrusion, Madame LaLaurie."

"It's quite all right, Mr. Abrams. It happens more often than you'd realize," she replied. She motioned to the empty spot on the sofa near Marie. "Would you care to join us?"

Mr. Abrams looked at the spot next to Marie, seeing her eyes wide with anticipation. He shook his head. "I'm sorry but I can't today. Perhaps I can call upon you again another day." He turned and excused himself from the house.

Delphine's smile disappeared from her face the moment the man left. She seemed angry. She stood up and looked at the team. "I thank you for saving my daughter. Please make yourselves comfortable and come by again, any time. I have matters to attend to."

Once she was out of the room, Lucy turned to Marie. "Is everything all right?"

Marie's face fell. "I don't know. We've had a lot of lawyers stop by as of late. I think it offends her."

Lucy asked carefully, "Is there any truth behind the accusations?"

Marie's face faltered for a second. It happened so quickly that if the team hadn't been looking, they would have missed it completely. She shook her head. "Of course not. We'd never do that to our slaves."

Lucy was about ask another question, but Wyatt spoke first. He asked, "What did that man want with the slave? Did he say which one?"

Marie shook her head. "No, but it was one of the new ones we bought." Her answer had solidified what the team had already figured out.

Ten minutes later, the team had been escorted out of the house. They walked around the corner, out of sight of the front door to discuss their next move.

"Well," Lucy began. "We have an open invitation to come back."

"Yes," Flynn replied. "Thanks to Wyatt's wily charms."

Wyatt sighed, turning to Flynn. "Would you stop?"

Flynn smirked at Wyatt's reaction. Lucy held her hands up between them, trying to keep the peace. She whispered, "Now's not the time, okay?"

The evening air started to pick up and the evening crowds were growing. Wyatt's eyes scanned the crowds when his eyes fell upon the familiar face of the man they had cornered in the alleyway. He motioned with his head, to stay discreet. "There's the man from the alley."

The man was smoking on the street corner, speaking to someone they couldn't make out. Flynn suggested, "We should go after them now, before they see us." Wyatt nodded in agreement.

As Wyatt and Flynn started to run across the busy street to intercept the man from the alley, screams filled the street from the passersby. They were pointing up to the roof of the LaLaurie mansion.

Lucy's eyes flew to the roof to see a small child standing on the edge of the roof. Lucy screamed, "Flynn!"

Flynn stopped, turning around to see the child on the roof. He rushed back to Lucy's side while Wyatt continued after the man from the alley.

As Flynn ran towards Lucy, the child on the roof had taken a step and made the plunge to the ground below. People screamed as they watched in horror. Flynn's eyes were locked on the falling child and managed to catch the small body before they both tumbled to the dirt ground together.

Cries for help echoed down the street. People swarmed around Flynn and the child. Flynn brushed the matted hair out of the child's face and he saw terror written on the girl's dirty face. He asked, "Are you all right?"

The girl started crying. "You should 'ave let me die... she'll kill me..."

"No one's going to kill you," he reassured her, holding her tight against his chest. The child could feel his heart pounding behind his ribs.

Lucy tried her best to reach Flynn, but the crowds proved to be too much for her. She continued to try, but it wasn't until Flynn stood up, still carrying the terrified child who clung to him that Lucy was able to reach his side.

They escaped the crowds and sat down in a secluded area to ask the child questions.

"What's your name?" Lucy asked gently.

The girl lifted her eyes to meet Lucy's. "Lia."

"Lia," Lucy repeated. "My name is Lucy, and this is Flynn." When the girl didn't acknowledge anything more, Lucy asked, "Can you tell us what happened?"

Tears fell from Lia's eyes. Lucy comforted her as she cried. Flynn scanned the area in hopes of finding Wyatt as they waited for the child to speak.

Lia finally collected herself long enough to say, "I was brushing her hair..." Lucy's eyes met Flynn's. They knew the story because Lucy had mentioned it before they began their mission.

Lia finished her story and admitted that she had feared what the punishment from Delphine would have been. Lia stated that she had seen other slaves kill themselves because it was a lesser punishment than having to deal with Delphine's wrath.

Lucy asked, "How many other slaves are in the house?"

Lia misunderstood the question. "There are hundreds..."

"Hundreds?" Lucy repeated.

Lia sniffled, nodding. "She's buried them in the basement..."

"And the ones that are still alive?" Flynn questioned.

Lia met his gaze. "They're chained up in the attic, under lock and key. No one is allowed in there." Flynn now understood why the lawyers never found the evidence they were searching for. LaLaurie did a good job of hiding all evidence from outsiders.

Lucy asked, "Our friend was taken from us and then sold to the LaLauries... do you know who I'm talking about?"

Lia didn't need to think. She nodded, instantly knowing who they were referring. "Yes. You mean Rufus?"

Lucy and Flynn exchanged glances. "Yes, Rufus. Is he okay?"

Lia started crying again uncontrollably. It made Lucy and Flynn afraid for what had happened to Rufus. They knew they were running out of time.

Lucy mentioned, "If the timing is still true, there should be a house fire inside the mansion... then they'll free the slaves inside after the slave responsible explains where all the others are."

Flynn worried that Rufus wouldn't survive inside long enough for someone to light a fire inside. As they stood there debating on what to do, Wyatt reappeared. He explained, "I ran after him, but I lost him in the woods."

"You went all the way out to the woods?" Lucy asked, taken aback.

He nodded. "I'm sorry, but... I couldn't keep track of him." Wyatt noticed the heaviness that fell upon the two, as well as seeing Lia sitting with them. He asked, "What'd I miss?"

Rufus's eyes slowly opened to a dimly lit room. It was difficult for him to see details of the surrounding walls. He pushed himself up into a seated position. The sounds of heavy chains sliding across the floor as he sat up caused him to glance down at his limbs. He was bound by chains.

Looking at the chains, he followed them up to the wall. He discovered that his neck was in an iron collar which was also chained to the wall. His eyes darted around to the rest of the room.

There were six others inside that dark room, chained and beaten. Most were mutilated beyond repair, some were suspended in the air by their necks, arms stretched out from their sides.

His mouth fell agape, unable to speak. The old woman next to him asked, "Are you okay?"

He blinked over at her. The woman was in her seventies, Rufus had guessed, but she seemed incredibly weak and fragile. He shook his head and asked, "What's happened here?"

"You've been bought," the elderly woman replied.

"I know that," Rufus replied. He motioned to the others. "What's happened here?"

She didn't blink at his question. "You'll soon learn that the best course of action is to not disappoint Madame LaLaurie."

"What?" Rufus scoffed. He couldn't wrap his head around what she had said. He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and winced. It was at that moment he realized that he had a nasty cut on his eye. He remembered arguing with the people of the house and having them beat him for it.

The old woman whispered, "It is better to die than to face their punishments."

Rufus stared at her. "What?" He felt silly for having only said 'what' every time the woman spoke to him. He just couldn't understand what was happening. _This_ was why he hated history.

The woman nodded. "They'll come for me soon enough and I plan to kill myself before they can lay another hand on me."

"How can you say that?" Rufus asked. "Why not fight back?"

"We're slaves," she retorted. "Unless you've forgotten?"

Rufus's head hung. He tried to think about sending a message to the others. He had to let them know where he was. He knew he was running out of time.

Keys could be heard jingling on the other side of the wooden door. The old woman smiled at Rufus. "I'm sorry that you got brought here."

"Me too," he replied, feeling defeated.

The door swung open and another slave entered the room. His sad eyes landed on the little old woman. He bent down and unhooked her from the wall. Helping her to her feet, he whispered, "Come on now. It's time for you to go to work."

Rufus saw the struggle the old lady had in moving. "Wait," Rufus shouted. "Take me instead. I know a thing or two about cooking."

Before the slave holding the older woman could reply, there was another voice that spoke in the doorway. "Very well." All eyes turned to the door. It was Delphine. She eyed Rufus. "You can help her in the kitchens."

The slave set the older woman down so he could unchain Rufus. He was led to the kitchens with his new friend.

Rufus was genuinely shocked when they were chained to the iron stove by the ankles. He glared down at the chain. "Seriously?"

"It's too keep you from running off," the man replied as he turned to leave the kitchen.

The old lady turned to Rufus. "Keep your head down and your mouth shut and you just might live long enough to think of a way outta here."

Rufus shook his head. "No, we need to get out of here now."

The woman scoffed at him. "And how do you propose we do that?"

Rufus glanced about the room. An idea suddenly came to him. "We set fire to the place."

"We are still chained to the stove," she pointed out. Her face relaxed as she added, "But...it's better to die by your own hand than by hers, I reckon..." Then she closed her eyes and whispered, "Our sacrifice will be a blessing to those poor souls in the attic."

Rufus stared at her as though she was crazy. He began to set up the stove to start the fire he needed to cause. He just hoped that he'd be able to pull it off before anyone caught him doing it. He also hoped that someone would come to their rescue to help put it out before they burned alive.

Within a few minutes, Rufus had managed to build up a fire inside the iron stove. He opened the nearby window to help keep the flames burning, but also to allow the smoke to billow outside. He knew that if anyone walking by happened to see the smoke, help would be called.

It wasn't much longer before the fire began to lick their feet. The elderly woman turned to Rufus with a sad smile. "I'm glad that I am with a friend..." Rufus held her stare as she added, "It's makes dying easier when you're with someone."

Rufus sighed, feeling almost defeated. He reached out and held the little old lady's wrinkled hand.

The moment the fire erupted on the stove, shouts and orders were heard entering the kitchen. The firemen quickly put the blaze out. When they cleared the room of any fires, they stood in shock at the sight of Rufus and the little old lady chained to the stove.

Police showed up shortly after. They began to ask the old woman questions about what had happened. She aptly explained everything. She even told the police that there were slaves that were taken to different parts of the house, never to be seen again.

As she continued her story, another police officer appeared. He looked at the one in charge. "Sir? You're going to want to see this."

Rufus was ordered by the police officer to sit tight and wait for his return. He nodded that he understood the order and waited. His eyes lifted to see a familiar face approaching him from down the hall.

"Hello Rufus," Emma said, smiling at him. "Nice to see you've survived."

He swallowed hard, adverting his gaze. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to rescue you," she stated. When his eyes lifted to meet hers, she smiled a crooked smile. He worried what tricks she had up her sleeve.

He asked, "Rescue me? I don't understand-"

She sighed. "I'm taking you back with me." She paused, looking around the room. "Unless you'd rather stay here?"

Rufus weighed his options. He knew that he could wait at the LaLaurie mansion in hopes that the team would find him or he could take his chances with Emma and find a way to escape. He thought long and hard.

Emma could see his wheels turning. "Just so you know, they don't arrest Delphine for this. They take the slaves that were badly treated away... so, your chances of staying here with a very angry and bitter psychopath are still pretty high."

That was all Emma had to say to get Rufus to agree to go with her. She turned to the nearest hall and pointed to a police officer. "Sir? I need to speak with you for a moment."

The officer appeared in the room with them. He scanned Rufus before turning his attention back to Emma. She smiled sweetly at the man. "This man here is my slave. Ms. LaLaurie had taken him from me and I'd like him returned to my home where he belongs."

The officer furrowed his brow and turned to Rufus. "I've got to run this by the officer in charge-"

"Whatever you need to do," Emma replied sweetly.

The officer headed upstairs to discuss the notion Emma had provided. They returned and the commander looked at Rufus. "Is what she said true? Do you belong to her?"

Rufus swallowed hard. He had no choice. "Yes, it's true."

The man nodded curtly, ordering his officer to release Rufus back into the custody of Emma. She thanked the men kindly and led Rufus outside, small handgun trained on his back.

The two began to make their way down the street. She said, "I have to say, it's amazing what you did back there."

"What? The fire?" he asked.

"That's right," she replied.

Rufus continued walking with Emma. "What are you doing here anyways?" Emma glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, saying nothing. He added, "Why are you here?"

"To get you," she admitted.

"But why?" Rufus asked, confused.

"You're their pilot," she stated. "Without you, the others would be stuck here, as would your machine."

"You'd leave the Lifeboat behind?" he questioned. He didn't believe that for a moment.

She shrugged. "We only need the one. Besides, we couldn't risk having Homeland Security assemble a new team to come after us." She thought for a moment before adding, "Not to mention Bloodstone-"

"You don't want Bloodstone involved?" he asked, clearly surprised by this. "You're the ones who brought them to life!"

Emma's hold on Rufus tightened as she tensed up. "And clearly that was a mistake."

Rufus was about to ask more, but Emma pushed the nuzzle of her gun harder into his back. He knew that he needed to stay quiet.

The two started towards the woods. Rufus asked, "I just have to ask... What do they want?"

Emma furrowed her brow at him. "Who?" When she saw the look on his face, she knew who he meant. "You'll know soon enough."

Rufus knew he had run out of time. He could see men lingering in the woods. They were approaching the Mothership. With his heart pounding, he prepared himself for fighting Emma.

"Hold it!" Wyatt's voice shouted behind them.

Whirling around, Emma saw Flynn and Wyatt standing there with their guns drawn, aimed directly at them. She smirked. "What? No hugs?"

"Let him go," Wyatt ordered. "You let him go, we'll let you go."  
She laughed. "Or I can kill him and still go."

"You kill him, we'll kill you," Flynn retorted, hand tightening around the gun.

She eyed the two men before her. "I have men in these woods, aiming at you now," she stated. "You're outnumbered."

"Are we?" Wyatt asked. The moment the words were spoken, several slaves appeared from the tree line. They were angry and armed with various weapons.

Emma looked confused and surprised. "I have no quarrels with any of you!"

"Except," Lucy pointed out, stepping forward from the mass of gathered slaves. "You're holding their savior captive."

Emma's lips tightened with anger. She glared at the team. Finally, she pushed Rufus forward, firing shots as she ran towards the Mothership. Everyone hunkered down to avoid being shot.

Flynn started to chase after Emma, but was stopped by Rufus. "Let her go!" Rufus looked at Flynn and added, "I want to kill her too, but... she saved my life, so... let's just call it even."

Flynn sighed heavily, frustrated. He hated seeing that red-haired bitch escape again.

As Rufus rejoined the team, the slaves approached him, hugging him and thanking him for his bravery in setting them free from the prison they had been in. Even the little old lady he had been chained up with was there.

An hour later, once the slaves dispersed and headed out into the world to find a place to settle down, the team began to make their trek back to the Lifeboat.

Lucy smirked, which didn't go unnoticed by Rufus. "What?"

She smiled up at him. "History teaches us that the LaLaurie mansion had a fire in the kitchen, which alerted the police and fire departments. It was the old lady who did it, wanting to kill herself... but instead, it was you who set the fire."

Rufus asked, "What happens to the place? To the LaLauries?"

"Well," Lucy began. "It used to be that Delphine had exiled herself willingly in Paris to avoid punishment for her crimes."

"Wait," Rufus said. "What do you mean, used to be said?"

Lucy replied, "Because of what happened at the house since you showed up, the slaves revolted after hearing just how many bodies were buried under the house... and they killed her."

"What?" Rufus asked, unable to comprehend what he had just been told.

Lucy nodded. "They killed her in the square in front of the house."

Rufus nodded slowly. He whispered, "No one deserved it more."

Lucy grabbed his hand as they continued walking. "I'm just happy that you're safe."

Wyatt asked, "Did you ever find out what Rittenhouse was doing here?"

"Yeah, actually..." Rufus began. "They were here for me, because I'm your pilot." He told the team what Emma had said. When he shared the information Emma had told him regarding Bloodstone, the team seemed surprised.

"They're the ones who brought them to life," Wyatt pointed out.

"That's what I said," Rufus replied as he climbed into the Lifeboat.


	32. A Storm In The West

**Present Day**

The team exited the Lifeboat, looking a bit rough around the edges. Following their normal routine, the team filled Agent Christopher in with their findings on the mission.

Hearing about Rufus's side of the story, Jiya had wrapped her arms around him. She was glad that he was okay, cuts and bruises aside.

The team were excused and given permission to get cleaned up. Rufus stopped into see Tenley in the infirmary before heading to the showers.

Tenley quickly cleaned and patched up his eye, handing him an ice pack for his face as he took his leave of her. She smiled, waving goodbye as he exited the room.

She sat down at her table, opening up her emails again. It had been a few days since she last heard from Tim. It had been even longer since she had any new medical emails to sift through.

She closed her laptop just as Flynn popped his head inside her room. She glanced up to meet his eyes. He smiled at her. "Hey."

"Hey," she returned the greeting. "Did you need..."

He stepped inside, shaking his head. "No, I'm perfectly intact."

She smirked, nodding at his comment. "What brings you here?"

He crossed his arms across his chest. "I figured that I'd ask how you're doing... it wasn't too long ago that you were shot."

She chuckled. "I've healed up nicely... and that was weeks ago."  
"No harm in checking," he retorted with a grin.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "How was your mission?"

Flynn unfolded his arms, padding across the room to sit down as he replied, "There are some things that I'll never understand."

"Meaning?" Tenley asked.

Flynn shrugged. "There's just a lot of evil in this world." Tenley was about to ask him to expand on his thoughts, but he looked at her and asked, "Would you be interested in playing a few rounds of Dominion later?"

She smiled. "I guess that depends."

He tilted his head at her. "On?"

"How many witches you're going to take," Tenley joked.

Flynn chuckled. "I guess that depends."

Mimicking him, she asked, "On?"

A smile broke out across his face. "How many witches are in the pile."  
For the first time in several weeks, Tenley threw back her head and laughed. It was a true laugh filled with happiness and joy. Flynn's smile had widened as he took her in. Seeing her this happy had made him happy. He hadn't felt this way in a long time - such a long time that he had often wondered if that part of him had died with his family.

She stifled her laughter, smiling brightly at him. "That was a good one," she admitted. "I was not expecting you to say that."

He continued to smile back at her, not saying another word. He didn't want to ruin the moment with words.

A chime echoed from her laptop, breaking the silence between them. Flynn stood up from his chair and headed for the door. He stopped and picked up the game box. Turning to face her, he said, "I'll set it up and if you come, we'll play."

She nodded as he took his leave of her. She thought about ignoring the email, but curiosity got the better of her. She knew it wouldn't take her long to respond if it was necessary.

Opening the laptop, she clicked on her email, opening the page. There was another email from Tim. She scanned through the words he had written. Tim had informed her that his mother had surgery and would be in the hospital for several weeks before he could move her into a nursing home. He had been fighting with the idea of placing her in such a place, but he was running out of ideas.

Tenley quickly typed out her condolences and words of affirmation. She reassured him that things would work out in ways he least expected, but to have faith. There was little else that she could say to him without having his mother's files in front of her, and she wasn't cleared to offer such a thing.

Once she hit send on the email, she closed the laptop and headed out to the main area where Flynn was waiting for her. When he saw her, he smiled at her.

Tenley looked down at the cards on the table. She furrowed her brow, glancing up at him. "There are no witches..."

"I decided to give them the night off," he replied with a smirk.

Tenley held his stare. "That was nice of you."

"All for you, Nine," he replied, motioning for her to sit. She sat down and they began to play the game.

Several hours flew by the moment Flynn and Tenley sat down to play their game. No one else had joined, and they didn't see anyone else within the bunker. It was another quiet evening spent alone.

When they decided to call it a night, Flynn had carried the game back to the infirmary. He placed it where it belong and lingered by the door. Tenley smiled up at him. "I had a lot of fun tonight," she admitted.

He returned the gesture. "So did I. It's been a long time since I've had this kind of fun."

The silence grew between them. Awkwardly, Tenley chuckled. "Well," she whispered. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

He studied her face, taking in her dark brown eyes. He saw a wave of emotions fill them. He nodded. "Tomorrow."

When Flynn left the infirmary, Tenley released a breath she didn't realize she was holding in. She had closed the door behind him, feeling butterflies in her stomach. Closing her eyes, she willed them to go away.

It was early the next morning when the alarms inside the bunker began to sound. It woke everyone up with a start. Wiping the sleep from their eyes, everyone had managed to find their way into the main area.

Jiya blinked at the bright screen as she typed commands on the keyboard. She cleared her throat before announcing, "They've jumped to...New York City, 1886."

Lucy closed her eyes, feeling tired but tried to think past the exhaustion. She sighed. "I'm sorry," she began. "I'm just waking up."

Wyatt nodded, understanding. "Well, we can still wake up as we head out." He looked at the team and asked, "Usual crew?"

The normal four headed slowly to the Lifeboat, still under the haze of sleep. When the Lifeboat disappeared from the bunker, Agent Christopher had come in.

She noticed the Lifeboat was missing. "What happened?"

"The Mothership jumped," Jiya announced. "They're headed to New York, 1886." Before Denise could ask, Jiya added, "And no, we have no idea why."

 **1886**

When the team managed to find appropriate attire, they followed the swarms of people towards what appeared to be a massive event of some sort. Lucy furrowed her brows, still trying to piece together what they were doing here.

They four stopped, standing off to the side of the road. They overheard a few people talking about all the shows they were going to see. One person couldn't wait to meet the famous Bill. When their eyes drifted up to see the posters of the attraction, it finally made sense.

"Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show," she read out loud. "This is the beginning of his massive tour in the U.S."

"So, Rittenhouse is here for what?" Wyatt asked. "To keep the tour from happening?"

Lucy shook her head. She didn't think that could be it. She thought through the possibilities. "I don't think it has anything to do with the show itself, but perhaps the people in it?"

"Like?" Rufus asked.

Lucy glanced over at him. "You're familiar with this part of history, right?"

Wyatt said, "Yeah, sure. There was Buffalo Bill, Sitting Bull, Annie Oakley..."

Lucy nodded. "I think it might be worth keeping an eye out for all of them."

"There's a lot of people here," Wyatt pointed out. "It's going to be damn near impossible to keep track of each other and them."

Flynn sighed. "Let's see if we can't get ourselves behind the curtains," he suggested. "It'd make keeping an eye on all of them easier."

Lucy's eyes lit up. "I have an idea."

They began to make the long trek through the crowds towards the arena.

When they finally arrived, Lucy began to ask around for Buffalo Bill. The people she asked had pointed her in numerous directions. They had walked all over the arena in search of the man.

Wyatt was about to protest when his eyes landed on the familiar face. He stopped them and pointed in the direction of Buffalo Bill. "There he is."

Lucy whirled around to see him standing next to an Indian Chief. She smiled softly. "That must be Sitting Bull." She began to push her way over to them.

Buffalo Bill had finished his conversation with Sitting Bull and began to leave. Lucy had stepped in front of him, halting his exit. He looked almost startled when he saw her. She smiled up at him. "Are you Buffalo Bill?" she asked.

He nodded, tipping his hat at her. "The one and only, miss..."

"Lucy," she replied. "I've heard so much about you-"

"Perhaps we can discuss this later," he started to say, trying to brush passed her.

Lucy quickly said, "I'm here to help!"

He stopped, looking over his shoulder at him. "Oh?"

She nodded and said, "I'm a nurse... and my husband and brother," she paused to motion across the yard towards Flynn and Wyatt. "They're physicians. We'd like to help you and your performers."

Bill stood there, taking in what she was saying. He nodded slowly and said, "Very well." He pointed to the tent behind her. "Go in there and tell them that I sent you. They'll give you instructions on where to go and what to do."

Lucy nodded and watched him rush off into the arena. Lucy quickly motioned for the team to follow her as they entered the tent nearby.

Stepping off to the side of the tent, Lucy explained, "We need to find..." Her voice trailed off as she stared wide with excitement.

Standing on the opposite end of the tent was Annie Oakley. The team glanced back to Lucy. She couldn't help but smile. She explained, "I've always been an admirer of hers. I used to dress up as her for Halloween every year."

"Of course you did," Wyatt smirked at her. It was a playful tease but he was beginning to think of Lucy as a kid, hair in pigtails, dressed up in historically accurate clothing to play the part.

Lucy tried to stop grinning from ear to ear. "We should keep an eye on her."

The men eyed Lucy for a moment, realizing that she wanted to be the one to keep an eye on the Little Sureshot.

Flynn asked, "And the rest of us?"

Lucy blinked out of her daze. "Sorry." She turned her attention away from Annie. She sighed. "I don't know if it's safe to separate, but there are just too many people here to keep track of."

"What do you suggest then?" Rufus asked. He saw a man approaching them and mumbled, "Incoming."

"Are you lost?" the man asked, stopping a few feet from the team. "The arena is out the door-"

Lucy shook her head, motioning him to stop. "I'm sorry. I must have forgotten... Buffalo Bill had recruited us to help. We're medical professionals."

The man didn't blink at her comment. "I see." He eyed the team suspiciously. He finally pointed to the opposite end of the tent. "There's a small medical tent out that door, to the left. That's where you need to go."

Lucy smiled at the man, bowing her head in thanks, before heading in the directions he gave them. The team followed closely behind. As they neared the exit of the tent, the overheard a squabble taking place.

"I'm telling you now," a girl's voice spat. "Annie Oakley is done for."

Lucy halted in her place to search for the voice that spoke. They were surrounded by performers and she couldn't pinpoint who might have said it.

As Lucy scanned the room, one of the female performers bumped into Wyatt. He grabbed the girl before she tripped over his feet, hands firmly grasping her shoulders.

"Are you all right?" he asked, steadying the girl.

The girl smiled wide as she met his blue eyes. "I am, thank you kindly."

Wyatt released his hold of the girl. She couldn't have been older than fifteen. "Glad to hear."

"I don't think I've seen you around here before," she said, swaying coyly at him.

Flynn groaned, rolling his eyes at what was happening. "We don't have time for this."

Lucy studied the girl for a moment. Her voice matched the one who proclaimed Annie's demise. Her brain began working overtime trying to place the girl's name from memory.

The girl extended her hand up to Wyatt. "I'm Lillian."

Smiling awkwardly, Wyatt shook her hand. "Wyatt."

"Wyatt," she repeated. "Such a pleasure... What's your act?"  
"I'm part of the medical staff," he replied, motioning to the rest of the team. "As we all are."

Lillian didn't look at the others. Her eyes were settled on him and him alone. Lucy rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed.

"What's your act?" Wyatt asked, trying to be friendly.

"I'm one of the trick shooters," she replied. "Better than anyone. Don't let anyone tell you different!"

Wyatt's pleading eyes lifted to meet Lucy's. She shook her head in disbelief. Finally, Lucy decided that Wyatt had had enough torture. She said, "I'm sorry, but we really do have to get to the medical tent."

Lillian's eyes flashed in anger at Lucy, but she simply said, "Of course." She turned back to Wyatt, smile wide. "I'll see you around, I'm sure."

Wyatt nodded, forcing a smile as Lillian walked away from them. He released a heavy sigh of relief before asking, "Who is that?"

"She said her name was Lillian," Lucy began. "The only Lillian that I can think of is Annie's direct rival in the show..."

"Do you think she's going to be a problem?" Wyatt asked.

"For Annie or for you?" Rufus questioned with a smirk. Wyatt rolled his eyes.

"It doesn't matter right now," Flynn mentioned. "We need to get moving and find everyone before Rittenhouse does."

Wyatt nodded in agreement. "Yes," he said, pointing to Flynn. "We need to do that..." Lucy smirked at the fact that he only agreed so quickly to avoid having to deal with Lillian again.

The team began to make their way out of the main tent towards the assembly area near the arena. The crowds were growing as they filed into the arena for the show to begin.

Flynn scanned the crowd. His eyes fell upon Buffalo Bill and Sitting Bull in the stadium. He pointed in their direction. "There they are."

Lucy's eyes darted over to see them. They were speaking to each other before Buffalo Bill helped his friend into a chair.

Rufus cleared his throat. "There's Annie and Wyatt's new girlfriend." He motioned towards the performer entrance. Wyatt scoffed at the remark.

Lucy sighed. "They're all here... I guess we wait and see what happens."

Wyatt's eyes caught the familiar hue of red in the crowd. "Or maybe we don't..." the team looked over at him and he motioned into the crowd. "There's Emma."

Flynn and Wyatt exchanged knowing looks. They'd have to go after her. They were concerned that if they separated now, it would leave any other sleepers the ability to go after Annie.

Lucy sighed. She didn't know what to suggest they do. It was important to her for personal reasons to keep them from reaching Annie or the others, but she knew that it was important to capture Emma too.

Rufus suggested, "I'll stay here with Lucy. You go. Stop her."

Flynn and Wyatt didn't need to be told twice. They pushed through the crowds towards Emma.

Lucy was too transfixed on watching them make their way through the crowds, that she didn't hear that the show had started. It wasn't until the cheers of the crowd snapped her back to the present.

Her eyes darted back into the arena to watch the show unfold. She struggled to pinpoint the location of all the people they were trying to keep track of. Buffalo Bill was in the center of the arena, Sitting Bull was still in his chair watching the show, but Annie wasn't to be seen. She hoped it was because her part of the show wasn't up yet.

Rufus continued to scan the crowds. Emma had spotted them and fled the tent - Flynn and Wyatt hot on her trail. Rufus knew that if someone else was in the arena, waiting for them to separate, now would be the time to see them making their way towards Annie.

There were simply too many people for Rufus to look at. He was struggling to find anyone who stuck out as a sleeper.

Lucy motioned for Rufus to follow her through the crowds. She was determined to reach the performers' entrance. She hoped that by doing so, they'd reach them before Rittenhouse.

Battle cries erupted in the arena. Lucy and Rufus halted in their tracks, whirling around to protect themselves. Sitting Bull's men had entered the arena, playing their roles in the show. When they realized that there hadn't been any real danger, they continued to make their way across the crowded arena.

By the time they arrived to the performers' entrance, Annie had just galloped by them on horseback. They watched as she did her act. It wasn't long before another horse galloped into the arena with Lillian as the rider.

Rufus asked, "What do we do now?"

Lucy sighed. "I don't know... we wait?"


	33. Tragic Love

**A/N: Thank you ashleyliening for your review. I appreciate it.**

 **Here's the next chapter. It's a long one. Enjoy.**

* * *

Outside the arena, Flynn and Wyatt pursued Emma. They were gaining on her. Just before they managed to grab her, she had turned and fired a round in their direction. The two artfully dodged her gunfire.

They knew that no one would hear her gunfire over the show's. They carefully tried to pursue her, but she wasn't alone anymore. Her reinforcements had joined her.

Wyatt pointed out, "If she's got her friends here, who's in the arena?"

Flynn gritted his teeth. This hadn't been the only time that they had played into Rittenhouse's game. He glanced over at Wyatt, realizing that they'd need to try and make their way back to the arena - back to Lucy and Rufus.

Wyatt nodded. "We don't have a choice! We have to go back!"

Flynn sighed, unable to make the decision. "You go! I'll hold them off."  
Wyatt was about to protest, but saw the look in Flynn's eyes. He handed his gun over to Flynn, knowing he'd need the extra ammo before carefully running back to the arena.

Flynn fired round after round at the group before him. Emma had been shouting orders to her men, none of which Flynn could hear. The men started to fall back while Emma continued to provide suppressing fire.

Flynn waited for a moment for the bullets to ease up before sticking his head out and taking aim at Emma. He managed to shoot her shoulder. He stood up and started to make his way over to her, gun stretched out before him defensively.

As he neared the wounded redhead, bullets landed around him, causing him to retreat from his pursuit of her. Taking cover behind some crates, he spied one of Emma's men returning to help her up and out of the area. Flynn tried to fire back, but his gun was empty.

He exhaled sharply as he watched, once again, Emma disappear from his grasp. He was irritated and angry to see that she was still managing to screw him and seemingly several steps ahead of them.

He was forced to head back to the arena and hope that whatever was waiting for him there wouldn't be as devastating as this loss.

Back in the arena, the show continued to go on. Wyatt managed to track down Lucy and Rufus. He explained the situation to them. He asked, "How does it look here?"

Lucy shook her head. "I don't understand...what's Rittenhouse doing?"

"What do you mean?" Wyatt asked, not following.

Lucy blinked up at him. "What are they waiting for?" she asked. "They separated us, like they wanted - or at least what we thought they wanted, but yet...everyone is still accounted for."  
"Maybe they're just waiting for the right time to attack?" Rufus suggested.

Flynn rejoined them. "They've gone," he announced. "What's going on here?"

"We're at a standstill," Rufus explained. He motioned out into the arena. "We can't do anything until the show is over."

Flynn pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn't believe this. He felt as though they were still being played somehow. He just didn't know what it was.

A few hours later, the show had ended. The team watched as the arena emptied and the performers had gone to clean up from their acts. Lucy eyed each member of the performance carefully. None of them seemed to be out of the norm, behavior-wise, as though they'd been threatened.

The team waited patiently, as the performers continued to settle themselves back into every day clothes, ready for some much needed rest.

As the team continued to pretend being medical staff by packing up their supplies, they overheard Buffalo Bill asking, "Has anyone seen Lillian?"

Lucy's eyes raised to the man's words. She scanned the area, finally landing on Buffalo Bill. He approached her. "Have you seen Lillian?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, I haven't," Lucy admitted. "Is everything all right?"

"No one's seen her since her act," Bill replied. He sighed. "I bet she's stormed off in a fit after losing another bet to Annie."

"Does she do that often?" Wyatt asked, meeting the concerned gaze of both Lucy and Bill.

Bill shrugged. "She's done it before, but she's usually made a big enough scene to let everyone know that she's angry," he replied. "She's never been gone from sight this long."

"Should we look for her?" Rufus asked, unsure what else to say.

Bill shook his head. "She's fifteen. This isn't exactly the life I think she should be apart of..." he started. His eyes lifted to meet theirs. "If she's run off and isn't wanting to return, then that's probably best."

"What if she didn't run off?" Flynn asked.

Bill turned his gaze to Flynn. "What are you suggesting? She was taken?"

Flynn shrugged. "It was very crowded here today. It wouldn't be difficult to kidnap someone if they really wanted to."

Buffalo Bill gave it some considerable thought. "It's worth looking into. I'll notify the authorities right away," he replied. "Thank you." He shook Flynn's hand and headed out.

Lucy turned to face the others. Rufus asked, "Why would Rittenhouse want Lillian?"

Lucy tilted her head off to the side for a second as she thought. "She's just about as good as Annie...not that good, but better than most. It could be that they knew we'd protect Annie-"

"And not her rival," Wyatt finished, clearly frustrated.

Rufus paused for a moment before finally asking, "So...now what do we do?"

The team stood there in stunned silence as the truth had become apparent. Rittenhouse had, once again, managed to kidnap another member of history out from their noses.

 **Present Day**

The team filled Agent Christopher in on what had transpired back in the past. Lucy noted that there wasn't a single mention of Lillian Smith in the 'updated' history books. Annie Oakley had been rival-less her entire career, boosting her image even more.

Flynn headed to his room to change, just as the rest of the team had been ordered to. He finished and headed to the infirmary. When he entered, Tenley was nowhere to be found.

He furrowed his brow and left to see if she had gone to the main living area. When he arrived, he saw the team sitting around, discussing the strange disappearances of historical people. His eyes scanned the room, but Tenley still wasn't there.

He pulled Jiya aside as she started to head to the bathroom. "Have you seen Tenley?"

Jiya seemed stunned by the question. "Isn't she..." She turned to look at the group of people. When she saw that Tenley wasn't among them, she scoffed. "Huh. I thought she was here." She turned back to Flynn. "I haven't seen her in a while."

"She's not in her room," Flynn mumbled. Jiya shrugged and headed down the hall towards the bathroom.

Flynn turned on his heel and headed back to the infirmary. Something wasn't right. He could feel it deep down in his gut. He had to see if she left behind some clue as to where she had gone.

He entered her room and noticed that she had locked her laptop away. He shook his head, feeling guilty for breaking her privacy, but he knew this was a matter of 'better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission'.

After picking the lock on her cabinet, he opened the doors to retrieve her laptop. It didn't take him long to set it up and gain access. Even though it was password protected, he had overheard her tell Agent Christopher the new password, explaining that she thought someone was rifling through her things.

He navigated through her documents and emails. None of them had any leads as to where she would have disappeared to. He scanned through the numerous emails from a man named 'Tim'. None of what was said between the two seemed to be of any significance.

When he opened the last email, his eyes narrowed at the words. There had been reference to an old abandoned mission almost four hundred miles from their bunker. He realized that there was no way for certain to tell how long Tenley had been gone for. No one seemed to realize she was missing.

He plunked the address into the search engine, and studied the maps that would lead him to where he firmly believed she would have gone. If anything, if Tenley wasn't there, he was certain to find this 'Tim'.

Without bothering to shut anything down, Flynn slipped out of the bunker. He knew that once someone realized that either Flynn or Tenley were missing, they'd find the laptop and send reinforcements their way. Until then, he had little time to waste.

Tenley's eyes slowly opened. Her head throbbed and she felt immobile. When her eyes finally fully opened and adjusted to the light, she could see that she had been fully bound to a chair.

Blinking her eyes, forcing them to focus, she scanned the room. She realized that she was in the basement of the old mission that she had traveled to. She started to realize that she should have left behind a note for the others to come and find her.

"You're awake," a familiar voice spoke behind her. Tenley's eyes widened, voice hitching in her throat. Her breathing picked up as she waited for the person to approach her. The footsteps neared her. "I might have misjudged the amount of chloroform, though, clearly I didn't underestimate how long it was going to take to work."

Tenley's mind raced. She tried to remember what had happened. Images of her arriving to the old mission where Tim was outside waiting for her flooded her mind. He had said in his email that his mother had escaped the hospice house and made her way back to one place she remembered: the mission. Knowing what he was dealing with as far as his mother went, she felt an obligation to help him out. When she got there, he had stated that the mission had been long since abandoned for centuries, but the homeless and immigrants seeking asylum used it. He admitted that there were dead bodies decaying inside and offered her a handkerchief to help with the smell.

At first, she had refused it, but the smell proved to be too much and she accepted the handkerchief. After thirty minutes of wandering the inside of the massive mission ruins, her head started to feel light and she was overcome with dizziness. She chalked it up to the overwhelming smell of rotting dead. The moment she lost vision and woke up tied to the chair, did she realize that she had been drugged.

The footsteps came around from behind her, stopping before her. Her eyes lifted slowly to meet the gaze of Tim. She sighed, blinking at the sight of him. "What are you doing?"

"How are you feeling?" he asked. He bent down to study her forehead. He pointed to it as he stood up again. "I'm sorry about your head. You fell faster than I had planned for."

"What are you doing?" she repeated. She was stalling. She hoped that if she could keep Tim talking, she'd be able to buy time for herself to escape. Tim didn't answer, so she asked, "What do you want from me?"

"Oh," he laughed. "I don't want anything from you."

Tenley's eyebrows knitted together. "I don't understand..."

"I'm not interested in you, per se," he stated. "There's someone else I'm trying to get the attention of."

Tenley stared at him. "Who-"

He cut her off. "You'll see. I'm sure he's on his way by now."

"No one knows where I am," she stated. "You asked me not to tell anyone that I was coming, so I didn't."

Tim's face fell slightly, but he recovered quickly. "It doesn't matter. I know that he'll be here."

"How can you be so sure?" Tenley questioned. "Who are you hoping comes?"

Tim laughed again. "I can't give away the surprise. Not yet."

Tenley realized that she wasn't going to get anything more from him on the matter. She examined the binds holding her to the chair. There wasn't anything she could do to wiggle her way out of it.

She looked up at Tim and asked, "Was our whole relationship a lie?"

Tim seemed almost stunned she had asked the question. "Of course not," he reassured her. "To be honest, everything I did was because of you."

"What's everything?" she asked. "Kidnapping me-"

He shook his head. He was thinking about how to explain it to her. "You wouldn't understand..."

"Help me understand," Tenley pushed. "We've been friends for years...or so I thought..."

"We were," he stated. "In my mind, you were more than just a friend, Tenley." He looked at her, pain filling his eyes. "I loved you. I still love you."

She scoffed. This wasn't the first time she had been told this by a man who seemed crazy enough to kidnap her. "Love..."

"See," he started. "You're quick to toss my feelings to the side."

"I'm not trying to," she tried to reassure him, afraid of what he might do if she pushed him too far to the edge. "It's just... you've never really said anything before until that last trip-"

"How could I?" he groaned. "You were clear on the matter. You didn't love me. Maybe one day that can change-"

Beeping on the computer alerted Tim to check. He picked up his handgun from the desk. He started towards Tenley. "But I do love you," he stated. "Not only that, but I knew that he'd love you too."

"Who are you talking about?" Tenley asked. She prayed that he wasn't about to say Roger.

Tim looked forlorn as he stated, "I knew he would love you, because we always seemed to fall in love with the same women." His eyes darted over to the tunnel entrance. "Isn't that right, Garcia?"

Tenley's eyes flew over to the darkened tunnel. She watched as Flynn emerged slowly, gun in one hand, the other raised defensively. She gasped as she saw him standing there. She glanced back over to Tim.

Tim continued, "It's good to see you again."

Tenley furrowed her brow at Tim, then to Flynn. "You two know each other?"

Tim chuckled. "Would you like to tell her or should I?" he asked, looking at Flynn.

Flynn's eyes never left Tim. "He's my brother."

"Brother?" the word barely escaped in a whisper from Tenley's lips.

Tim smirked. "Half-brother," he corrected. He turned his eyes towards Tenley, and said, "My real name is Gabriel." He motioned to Flynn before asking, "Did you know that he had traveled back in time to save my life?" Tenley's eyes darted back to Flynn.

Tim continued, "See, I never forgot what that man looked like. When Garcia was born, I made every effort to make sure that he never forgot his namesake - the man who saved me." He turned his attention back to Tenley. "Imagine my surprise when he turned into the very man I didn't want him to forget."

He moved towards Tenley, bringing Flynn's guard up even more. Tim continued, "See, I ended up moving to Paris and tried to make sense of it all. We didn't speak much in those days. Did we, brother?" Flynn stood silently, listening to his brother speak.

"So when I was approached by Rittenhouse," Tim stated. "They offered me up a once in a lifetime opportunity."  
"Which was what?" Tenley asked. "That you betray your brother - the very one that saved you?"

Tim laughed. "No... see, I needed you to find him because we have much to discuss. Don't we?" His eyes landed on Flynn.

Flynn eyed his brother. "We can talk, but don't you hurt her."

"I'd never do such a thing," Tim replied, brushing the nape of Tenley's neck. Tenley tensed under his touch, grimacing.

Flynn growled, "Don't touch her!" Tim lifted his hand from her neck. Flynn asked after a short pause, "How'd you know that I'd come?"

Tim laughed. "Like I told Tenley a moment before you showed up," he began. "You and I have loved the same people all of our lives. And it's all connected."

"What are you talking about?" Flynn spat.

"See," Tim started. "Let's go back for a moment... I need you to understand the full picture here." He stood beside Tenley, making sure that Flynn stayed where he was. "When I lived in Paris, I was approached by Emma." When Flynn's eyes twitched with recognition at the name, Tim nodded. "Yes, the same Emma," he admitted. He continued, "She confirmed to me about how you were the same man that saved me all those years ago. She told me about the time machine."

"What'd they offer you?" Flynn interrupted. "What'd they have on you that you'd turn on your family?"

"I'm doing this _for_ my family!" Tim shouted. He calmed down and explained, "Emma offered me help for my current situation." He stopped for a moment and said, "Not only would they take care of our mother's health expenses, but they would ensure that she'd live comfortably for the rest of her life." He lifted his pained gaze to Flynn's. "Not that you've been around to see how much she suffers."

Tenley saw the anger in Tim's eyes. He asked, "Do you realize that even with her deteriorating mind, she still asks for you? She still remembers you?"

Tenley's eyes closed in pain for Tim. She couldn't imagine what that would be like.

Tim continued, "Not only would Mother be taken care of and living the rest of her days comfortably, but your wife and Iris would be returned to you." Flynn's face faltered as he heard this. Tim saw it and nodded. "That's right. They'd fix what they'd done to you and your family."

"And what do you get out of all of this?" Flynn asked.

"I loved your wife just as much as you did," Tim admitted. "I never wanted to see her die." He glanced away from Flynn for a second. "But in end, we'd both be able to gain some happiness. You with your wife," he paused, looking down at Tenley. "And me with Tenley."

Tenley grimaced. She had no intention of staying with Tim - or Gabriel - whatever he decided to call himself.

Flynn asked, "In exchange for what?"

"You leave the team," Tim replied.

"That's it?" Flynn asked, unable to believe that was all they'd want from him.

Tim nodded. "Surprisingly simple, isn't it?" Tim shifted in his place before saying, "You have the chance to live the rest of your days with your family again, happy and completely out of harm's way. Your wife, your daughter, and our mother... All you have to do is walk away from this indefinitely."

Tenley grew nervous as she studied Flynn's face. He was weighing his options carefully. She couldn't believe he was still considering it.

Tim continued, "Think about it, Garcia. One big happy family again." He placed a hand on Tenley's shoulder. "All of us."

Tenley rolled her shoulder away from his touch. "Don't I get a say in any of this?"

Tim smirked. "No, you don't." He met her frustrated gaze and added, "Sorry, but you were part of the packaged deal for me."

"I refuse to be a part of your crazy schemes," she stated firmly.

Tim sighed. "It would pain me to have to turn you over to Rittenhouse after all of this," he replied. "But if you left me no other choice-"

"So, I'm supposed to be your..." Tenley couldn't bring herself to say the words. "Or die?"

Tim gave her a sympathetic stare. "I'm sorry. I am," he started. "You can either live out the rest of your days with me or Rittenhouse has dibs on you."

Tenley scoffed as she listened to Tim. Her dark eyes darted back over to Flynn. He was still seemingly disconnected with the conversations at hand. She carefully called out to him. "Flynn?"

Tim's eyes lifted to watch his brother. "What's your answer, little brother?"

Tenley's eyes darted back to Tim. "You can't trust Rittenhouse-"

Tim held a finger up over her lips, silencing her. "Your time to speak is over," he said. He turned his eyes back to Flynn. "I need your answer now, Garcia."

Flynn's eyes lifted to hold Tim's. Tenley couldn't read any of the emotions behind his eyes. It frightened her. He didn't blink as he said, "No."  
"No?" Tim repeated, completely shocked. "Did you say no?"

Flynn stood his ground, grip tightening on his gun. "No."

Tim clicked his tongue. "Not sure that's the right answer," he stated. "See, by saying no, that would leave me no choice but to," he paused long enough to raise his gun to Tenley's head, "kill the both of you." He held Flynn's angry stare. "I'm going to give you the chance to change your mind."

Tenley's eyes squeezed tight as the barrel of the gun pressed into her temple firmly. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her stomach had dropped and was ready to empty its contents at a moment's notice.

Flynn's eyes never left Tim. He didn't want to risk looking away, even for a second, in case Tim decided to use that split second to his advantage. Flynn stood tall, showing his size against his older brother. "My answer is no."

Tim chuckled. "I don't understand you," he admitted. "I'm giving you a chance to have your family back, have our mother taken care of...and you're throwing it all away...for what?" He glanced out of the corner of his eye towards Tenley. "For her?"

"You should have left her out of this," Flynn stated.

"Actually," Tim replied. "Emma's the one who told me all about her."

"What?" Flynn gasped.

Tim nodded. "You're not the only time traveler in our family." He laughed as he admitted, "This war between you and Rittenhouse has been going on for quite some time. She came to me in the past, told me what to do... all of this," he said motioning around the room and to Tenley with both arms, "It's all part of the plan that Rittenhouse has put together. You can't stop them! You can't stop me!" He raised his gun back against Tenley's temple. "I've been giving strict orders that if you were to refuse, you both die." He pushed the gun harder against Tenley's head, causing her to release a short sob. "I'm sorry, Garcia."

"So am I," Flynn whispered.

Tenley jumped at the sound of loud gunfire within the room. Her eyes released tears from the tightly closed lids. She was afraid to open her eyes for fear of what she would discover. Two scenarios flashed before her closed eyes; Flynn was dead and she was next or Flynn was dead and Tim wasn't going to kill her. She feared reality in that moment.

When gentle hands touched her face, she forced herself to open her eyes. She saw Flynn studying her face, making sure she was okay. She released a shaky breath as he started to cut her free from her bonds. Tenley glanced down to see Tim's lifeless body next to her, blood pooling around his head.

Her dark eyes darted back to Flynn. He wasn't looking at her anymore. His face had hardened as he continued to free her from the chair. When the task was complete, he headed over to the computers that Tim had set up in the basement.

Tenley stood up slowly from the chair and bent down next to Tim. He had been shot between the eyes. She felt pained seeing him dead. Even after hearing the truth of their relationship from his mouth, she refused to believe that everything had been a lie. There had to have been some good from him.

She stood up and turned around to look at Flynn. He didn't seem remotely saddened by the loss of his brother. She worried that he was angry with her for his brother's death. She worried how he might treat her moving forward.

Flynn typed madly at the keyboard before removing a jump drive from the computer tower. He destroyed the computer after he was finished clearing it all. He turned away from the destruction, grabbing Tenley's arm tightly, and pulling her out of the ruins.

Forty-six minutes of silent driving later, Tenley glanced over at Flynn. Both of his hands were firmly gripping the steering wheel. His angry eyes were on the road before him as he drove. He hadn't spoken or looked her way since the incident within the ruin's basement. His body language was tense and unapproachable.

Before Tenley could muster up the courage to speak to Flynn, a small alarm started to beep from the vehicle's dashboard. Tenley's eyes darted between the dash and Flynn. "What's going on?" she asked.

Flynn didn't say anything. The vehicle started to slow down to a stop as Flynn pulled off to the side of the dark highway. Tenley glanced out of the windshield to see a plume of smoke start rising from the hood.

Flynn popped the hood and exited the vehicle to get a closer look. Tenley watched as he opened the hood and more smoke billowed out. Finally, she stepped out into the cold night and stood at a safe distance away. "What's wrong?"

Without answering her, Flynn pulled his cell phone from his coat pocket. He put it up to his ear and said, "Yeah, it's me." A moment of silence on his end came before he added, "Look, you can ream me a new one after I get back, but I'll need your help to get back first." For the first time since the incident in the ruins, he glanced at Tenley. "Yes, I have her. She's fine." He turned back to the car and said, "No, the car's dead. We need a new lift. Great. Thanks."

He hung up the call and placed the phone back into his pocket. He climbed back into the warmth of the vehicle. Tenley followed him.

Inside the vehicle, Tenley asked, "What's going on?"

Flynn finally spoke, "Agent Christopher is sending someone to swap vehicles with us."

"Okay," Tenley said drawing the word out. "How long will that take?"

"Few hours," Flynn replied, still not looking at her.

Tenley released a heavy sigh. "So, is this how it's going to be between us from now on?" He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, not answering. She added, "You're not going to speak to me - look at me - anything?" When he still didn't say anything, she scoffed and opened the door, slamming it once she was outside the vehicle.

Tenley began marching down the dark and empty highway. She felt the sting of the cold air wrap around her as she didn't have a coat to protect her from the elements. She didn't care. She was angry at Flynn for the way he was treating her.

She understood that he'd be angry at her for what happened regarding his brother. He deserved to be angry - she expected it, but she hadn't expected _this_ kind of reaction - this void of communication and glances in her direction.

"Where are you going?" he called after her.

She stopped and looked over her shoulder at him. He had the door open, one arm propped up on the top of the vehicle, the other on the top of the door. She could see the look of concern on his face - she could see his pain.

Blinking at his words, she shouted back, "I'm walking!"

"All the way to the bunker?" he called after her. "It's too cold, Tenley. Come back!"

She turned on her heel and continued down the road. She was determined to keep going.

"Tenley!" Flynn shouted at her, causing her to stop again. His footsteps crunched against the gravel that littered the road. She could tell he was nearing her. When his voice was louder, she knew he was behind her. "Look, it's too cold for you to be walking. Just sit in the car and wait."

She turned to meet his gaze. "Why? So you can continue to ignore me?"

His hardened expression softened. Eyes showing the battle that raged on within his torn mind. "Please," he begged. "Please, just come back to the car and wait."

She scoffed, turning away from him. She didn't get far. She felt a firm hand grasp her upper arm, whirling her back around to face him. She pushed at him, trying to get free of his hold. "Let go of me!" He released his hold, lifting his hands up defensively. Tenley glared at him. "I'm sorry about your brother," she said. "I am... It's my fault-"

"No," he cut her off. "It's not your fault."

She narrowed her dark eyes at him. "How can you say that? Of course it is... if it wasn't for me-"

"I pulled the trigger," he spat. "That was _my_ choice, but it wasn't your fault. Didn't you hear a word that he was saying back there?"

"So," she began slowly. "If you're not mad at me because of the death of your brother... why are you so angry with me?"

Flynn inhaled deeply, letting his arms fall to his sides. "Because you continue to get yourself into situations like this."

"What are you talking about?" Tenley asked sharply.

He eyed her. "You've been kidnapped four times, Tenley!" She scoffed as he added, "I don't know how many more times I'll be able to save you!"

"Hold on!" she shouted back at him. "Let's get the record straight here." She lifted her hands to count off on her fingers. "The first two times, I was mistaken for Lucy! This time, he was after you - not me - _you_!" She dropped her hands and added, "The only one that you can safely blame me for is Roger and let's be honest, that was probably going to happen whether I knew you or not!" She stood up straight, challenging him as she spat back, "So don't you _dare_ blame me for all four instances!"

The two stood there in the cold, huffing at each other, staring deep into each other's frustrated eyes. Tenley blinked first, turning her head away from him to break the intense eye contact. She crossed her arms, huddling in the cold.

Flynn stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her. She felt the heat from his body sear through straight to her bones. Her nose was filled with his musky scent - the very comforting smell that she loved.

He whispered, "I'm sorry. You're right."

She snorted. "You're just saying that."

"No," he replied softly. "I'm not. You're right. I just can't..."

Tenley pulled away from him after his words trailed off. "You can't what?"

His eyes drifted down to gaze into hers, studying them before finishing his previous comment, "I just can't imagine what would happen to you if you were hurt." His eyes drifted down to where she had been shot for a moment before lifting them back to meet hers. He added, "Again."  
She studied his face, searching for emotions and answers to her unasked questions. As she held his gaze, she saw a new expression grace his features - one that she'd never seen before. Deep behind the eyes she knew was a yearning that she'd never seen there.

She felt her heart racing. Her stomach started to flutter as she held his intense stare. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words were stuck.

Instinctively, Tenley took a step backwards from him. She shivered briefly at the chills that ran down her spine caused by him and not the cold. Before her heel hit the road, she felt him reach out, grasping her shoulders, and pulling her into him, his lips crashing down on hers.

Her wide eyes stared at his closed ones for a moment, before she released control and melted into him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him.

The second Flynn realized that she wasn't pulling away, his hands drifted to her hips, pulling her gently into him, almost as though he sought to make them one person.

She gasped against his lips, allowing him to deepen the kiss. His left hand snaking itself into her hair, pressing her lips harder into his. His right hand had plastered across her lower back, holding her firmly against him.

He knew he was in trouble. He swore that he'd never fall in love again, that he'd remain loyal to his wife and daughter; he would avenge their deaths honorably. He hadn't expected to fall in love with Tenley. He fought it, but when he realized that he was losing that battle, he found himself too weak to fight the urge.

He tried to reason with himself, believing that he was simply lonely and in need of some human contact, comfort, and love. It was a battle he still fought in this moment.

Every fiber of his body had betrayed him, even his heart. A small part of his brain had scolded him for what he was doing, but he couldn't resist. She was there, and he loved her. He had to admit his feelings.

Tenley gripped his hair as he plunged his tongue into her mouth, gently caressing hers with his. He had eased up on the aggressive pressures when he realized that he had succeeded in winning the battle. She had surrendered completely to him.

She knew that she loved him. Months of spending time together in a small bunker, talking and playing games, getting to know each other, had brought them closer. She didn't want to fall in love with him. She knew that he had a mission: to save his family, and she didn't want to be faced with the heartbreak that would come if he succeeded in bringing them back to life. She feared that she'd be cast aside, forgotten like an old memory.

But in this moment, in her moments of surrender, she realized that she loved him and he loved her, but it wasn't that simple. It would never be that simple. Not for them.


	34. Marked Target

Back at the bunker, Agent Christopher spotted the two as the entered the corridor. Her face hardened, giving them both a stern glare that made Tenley uncomfortable.

"What were you thinking?" she demanded to know. She eyed both of them. "You know better than to leave-"

"Look," Flynn began. "We're tired. Can we do this in the morning?"

Denise narrowed her eyes at him before casting her gaze over to Tenley. For the first time since they returned, she noticed the gash on Tenley's head. She sighed. "Very well. Get cleaned up and we _will_ have a talk tomorrow, do I make myself clear?"

The two nodded and watched as an angry Denise Christopher stormed away from them. Tenley's eyes lifted up out of the corner of her eye to Flynn.

He turned towards her. "Let's get your head cleaned up."

She entered the infirmary behind Flynn. Her eyes landed on her open laptop and her brows knitted together. She opened her mouth to question it when Flynn saw what she was looking at.

He admitted, "I figured there'd be a clue on there as to where you disappeared to." He turned to look at her. "Seems I was right."

"How'd you know my password?" she asked as Flynn gathered the supplies to clean her injury.

"What," he began. "Like it was hard?" He chuckled and stated, "I actually overheard you when you told Agent Christopher the new password."

Tenley blinked at his admittance. "I see...well...thanks for eavesdropping."

He smirked. "You're welcome." He patted the exam table. "Hop up. Let's get you cleaned up."

Tenley sighed, sitting on the exam table as Flynn began cleaning up the cut on her forehead. She felt the sting of the antiseptic as he dabbed it on the open cut.

After a moment of silence, Tenley whispered, "I am sorry about your brother."

Flynn's eyes briefly met hers before turning away to throw the trash in the bin. "I appreciate that, but it's not your fault, Nine." She sighed heavily, still feeling guilty. He turned back to face her. "I guess it just goes to show you that you can't really change history."

She knitted her brow together in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"In our original timeline," he began. "Before all of this - before the time machine - Gabriel had been stung by a bee and died of asphyxia."

Tenley's eyes fell to the floor, saddened to hear the truth of his brother's history. "I had no idea..."

Flynn shrugged. "I went back in time and saved him...I did it because our mother suffered from that loss my whole life...I had to do something to bring him back - bring some joy back into her life."

"And you did," Tenley pointed out.

Flynn nodded, crossing his arms. "I did. But..." he paused for a moment before saying, "But Rittenhouse knew that I had done so and used him against me. So you see?" He stood before Tenley, lifting her chin to look at him. "It's not your fault. You were right before. You were simply their pawn to get to me."

Tenley shook her head in dismay. She couldn't wrap her head around what Rittenhouse wanted, why they destroyed people's lives and families. Flynn had lost almost everyone dear to him, Lucy had lost not only her sister Amy, but her mother in a sense. Everyone in the bunker had a similar story of loss, but Flynn had been the one to suffer the greatest out of everyone.

Flynn held her gaze for a moment before saying softly, "Goodnight, Nine. I'll see you tomorrow."  
He lingered for a minute. Tenley watched him carefully, suddenly remembering the moment on the abandoned highway in the middle of the night. When he finally forced himself out of the infirmary, Tenley's mind raced, heart pounded, and the butterflies suddenly attacked her stomach.

In the quiet hours of the early morning, Flynn lay awake in his room, staring up at the ceiling tiles. His mind had been replaying all the moments from when he found Tenley in the old mission to the incident between them on the side of the road.

He thought about his life before all of the Rittenhouse/Bloodstone ordeals, his wife, his daughter, his mother, and even Gabriel. He reminisced the details in his life, finding that things were unfolding exactly as Rittenhouse had planned. One thing he knew for certain was how Rittenhouse couldn't have foreseen him falling in love with Tenley - regardless of what Gabriel had said.

Guilt still seared his heart whenever he thought about his feelings for the young doctor. He didn't want to abandon his quest in righting the wrongs done to his family.

Flashbacks of conversations with his wife flooded his mind. He and his wife had discussed what they wanted the other to do in the event of one of them passing on in life. His wife had suggested that he should move on, be happy - even if that meant falling in love with someone else. She just wanted to see him happy in life because he deserved it. He told her he'd never love anyone as he loved her.

Flynn sighed as he thought over his statement. It was true, even now, that he'd never love anyone as much as he loved his wife. There would never be anyone out there - not even Tenley - to replace the love he had for her.

He glanced over to the silver frame of his wife and daughter that sat on his shelf. She was smiling at him in the photo. He wondered if what Poe had told him was true. If Iris could see the future, he thought that she would have told his wife at the very least. If that was the case, he wondered why no one told him.

A small knock landed on his door. He glanced at his watch. It was three in the morning and he wouldn't have opened the door for anyone other than the person he knew for certain to be on his front step.

Slowly creaking the door open, his eyes met Tenley's. He pushed the door open further for her to enter. Once she was inside, he closed the door behind her. Turning around to face her, she asked, "Did I wake you?"

He shook his head. "I don't sleep. My mind has the scary capability of being dark and demented."

Her brown eyes narrowed at him, brows furrowed as she thought about his words. Finally, she asked, "You're afraid of your dreams?"

"Yes," he breathed quietly.

Tenley gave him a sympathetic look, unsure what to say to that. It was the first time that she finally understood why people feared silence. It was deafening and filled with too many emotions for her to be able to read the situation.

The moment his eyes locked with hers, Tenley's fears melted away. There had been something about Flynn, she realized, something about the way that he looked at her, the way he watched her - studied her - that made her feel more at ease.

Feeling regret for coming to him, Tenley shifted in her spot. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"It's okay," he interrupted her. "I was awake. Please," he said, motioning to the chair. "Let's talk."

Tenley nodded once, sitting in the armchair in his room. She saw the picture on the shelf as she sat down. Feelings of lament and remorse washed over her.

Flynn saw her body tense. His eyes landed on the silver frame. "I was just thinking about them," he admitted. "Before you knocked on my door."

Tenley's eyes drifted over to him. "Oh?"

He nodded as he sat on his bed. "What happened with Gabriel, sort of put things into perspective for me."

"How so?" she asked.

He tilted his head briefly. "Even if I were to succeed in bringing them back, I don't think I would be able to stay with them. I think that's part of Rittenhouse's plan."

"For you to be all alone?" Tenley asked, trying to keep up with his train of thoughts.

He shrugged. "All I know is that with everything that I have done - all the people I've killed to bring them back - that wasn't who I was then. I've changed, and they deserve better."

Tenley paused before saying, "Maybe you should ask her before you assume that she couldn't handle it."

He smirked. He hung his head in partial defeat. "They'd be afraid of me." Before Tenley could retort, he lifted his head and admitted, "I wouldn't be able to blame them. I'm afraid of myself too."

"I'm not afraid of you," Tenley's voice spoke, barely a whisper.

His intense stare bore into her soul. "Maybe you should be."

She stood up and walked over to him, stopping just before him. "I think you should let me be the judge of that." His eyes lifted to meet hers. She added, "Just because you've done monstrous things, doesn't make you a monster, Flynn."

The two studied each other for a moment before Flynn reached out and pulled Tenley into his lap, capturing her lips with his. Her hands rested on the sides of his face, securing him to her lips as he sought some comfort from her.

This kiss wasn't like their first. It wasn't filled with heated passion or secret profession of his love for her, but gentle as though he was seeking forgiveness - atonement for his sins. He needed someone to love him for the monster he believed himself to be. He hadn't expected to find that.

When they pulled away from one another, Flynn rested his head against her chest, listening to her heart beating within her ribcage. It was soothing. He whispered, "You were a risk, Tenley." She pulled away to look him in the eyes. He added, "You were a risk, a mystery, and the most certain thing that I've ever known..."

She realized in that moment, as she placed another comforting kiss on his lips, that beyond that rough and scary exterior was a man who was scared and in need of love and comfort. He was searching for acceptance, solace, and he desperately needed someone to be afraid to lose him as he had been for so many in his life. He just needed someone to understand him, to be there through the worst times of his life.

As she pulled him tighter into her embrace, she vowed to be that person for him. This was her purpose, she realized. This was why she was here. She wouldn't let him suffer through his demons alone. They were simply two damaged people, trying to heal each other the only way that they knew how. It might not have been enough for most, but for them, it was all they needed.

The next morning, alarms blared throughout the bunker. Flynn opened his eyes to discover that Tenley had snuck out of his room sometime after he had fallen asleep. He sat up, rubbing his face with his hands before exiting his room and moving towards the common living area.

Everyone was already there, including Tenley. Connor Mason peered over Jiya's shoulder as the information started to filter in. He read aloud, "It looks like they've jumped to Versailles," he paused to read before adding, " June 17, 1939."

"June 17, 1939?" Lucy asked. She seemed lost in thought, shaking her head at what it could be.

Agent Christopher mulled over the details for a moment. "I want you to be careful," she warned. "Better get moving. Stick together. Don't do any crazy heroics."

The team nodded as they headed towards the Lifeboat. Just as Flynn bent down to enter the time machine, his eyes met Tenley's. Worry was written on her features and all he could do was smile and nod, letting her know that it would be okay.

The hatch closed and it wasn't long before the machine disappeared from the present.

 **1939**

Walking down the cobblestone lane, the team tried to find anything that could help them understand why they were there.

"So," Wyatt began. "What are we doing here? I mean, it doesn't seem like the kind of place Rittenhouse would be drawn to."

"Could be Bloodstone," Rufus chimed. "We haven't seen them in a while."

Flynn scanned the crowds who lined the streets. Something had caught his eye at how the people were behaving - cheery and excited, yet somewhat glum and angry. They had small flags in their hands. He narrowed his eyes before asking, "Is there some kind of festival today?"

Lucy's eyes lifted to meet Flynn's. When she saw that he was looking down the street, she turned to see what he was staring at. "No," she admitted. "I don't think so."

Rufus motioned to a building. "We could always ask."

The team turned to see a sign hanging above the door of the building that Rufus pointed out. It was a tavern - the best place to find answers. Feeling as though they didn't have many options, the team entered the busy tavern.

Once they were huddled at a sticky table in the corner, Wyatt asked, "Is it normal for a tavern to be this busy at this hour?"

"It's a special day," an unfamiliar British voice spoke beside them.

The team turned to see who had addressed them. Sitting at the table next to them was a tall, slender teenage boy. He had a long face, dark eyes and hair.

"What is today?" Wyatt asked the boy.

"There's going to be a public execution today," the boy replied. "The last public one to be held here in France."

"Who's being executed?" Lucy asked, as she thought through her memories.

The boy glanced between the four members of the team. "You don't know?"

"We just got here," Flynn admitted, trying to get the boy to keep talking.

The boy held Flynn's stare, unsure that he believed him. Finally, he admitted, "The man's name is Eugen Weidmann."

Lucy's eyes widened at the name. It suddenly had come to her. She turned to the team, nodding. "He's a criminal-"

"Not just any criminal," the boy interjected. "He's a kidnapper, murderer, extortionist, and more." The kid took a swig from his beer.

Rufus looked at the team. "Do you think that 'they' are looking for him?"

Lucy shrugged. Wyatt sighed heavily before asking, "Why do I get the feeling that we're in for another set up like we had with Annie?"

The team knew that Wyatt didn't say Annie's last name with the boy sitting nearby, listening to their conversation. They knew who he was referring to.

The boy asked, "Are you going to watch the execution?"

Lucy's eyes darted around her table before sighing. "I think so."

"It's going to make history," the boy replied. "I'd bet my bottom dollar."  
"I'm sorry," Lucy began. "What's your name?"

"Oh," the boy started. "Forgive my manners. My name is Christopher." He shook her hand and added, "Christopher Lee."

The team's mouths fell open in shock. Rufus turned to Wyatt and whispered, "Dude, that's Count Dooku." Wyatt's smile widened.

The young Lee narrowed his eyes at the men, confused by their behavior. "So," he said, drawing out the word as he turned his attention back to Lucy. "Shall we head out?"

Lucy nodded, following the tall seventeen year old down the lane, the team trailing behind.

The team followed the young Christopher Lee through the crowded streets towards the courtyard where the execution would be held. It seemed like everyone in Versailles had come to witness this man's execution.

As they followed, Rufus asked, "So, what's the relevance of having Saruman here?"

Lucy didn't take her eyes off of Lee as she spoke. "I think it's coincidence."

"Are you sure?" Wyatt asked. "Last time we thought that, we ended up being wrong."

Lucy shook her head, trying to think. "He's an amazing man for sure. I mean, he ends up serving in WWII, trained as a pilot and spy, then eventually makes his way to Hollywood."

"Do you think that Bloodstone is after him then?" Wyatt questioned. "They took Mata Hari, and she was a spy."

Lucy had almost forgotten about that. "Maybe..." her voice trailed off. She didn't know what to think.

Flynn asked, "What do you know about the man who's being executed?"

"Not much more than what I told you back at the tavern," she admitted.

"Who did he try to kidnap?" Wyatt asked.

Lucy thought for a moment. "I don't remember the specifics, but he had failed his first kidnapping attempt, managed to kidnap a young girl who was staying with her aunt before killing her after collecting the ransom, and I think he kidnapped a couple more people - killed them too."

"So," Wyatt sighed. "He killed a lot of people; why?"

Lucy shook her head. "They said it was for personal gain."

"How'd that work out for him?" Rufus muttered.

The team stopped in the crowd. They couldn't get in any further with the mass of people coming to the courtyard to witness the man's death.

Flynn's eyes scanned the crowds. He could see several prominent figures of France on the side of the courtyard. As his eyes continued to search the crowds, he spotted a man in a black suit that didn't seem to look like he belonged.

Flynn tapped Wyatt on the shoulder, nodding towards the suited man. "Looks like Bloodstone _is_ here."

Wyatt struggled to see over the people's heads to see the man Flynn had pointed out. "Where are the others?"

Flynn shook his head, as his eyes darted about in search of the other three Bloodstone men. The team had learned that this particular group always seemed to travel in four.

Wyatt whispered into Lucy's ear, then Rufus's. He had filled them in on what they had discovered. Wyatt hoped that by letting them know, they could watch young Christopher Lee and keep him safe.

The crowds became hysterical once the French President ordered the prisoner to the execution block. Officers and guards had surrounded the President, in fear that the crowds would turn violent.

The moment the prison guards escorted Eugen Weidmann to the block, the crowds were taunting him, throwing things at him. The team realized how dangerous a situation this could quickly become.

Wyatt eyed the two guards standing next to Eugen. He quickly studied their postures and clothing. One of them was wearing a fancy wristwatch. It dawned on him that the guards were Bloodstone men. He turned to tell Flynn, but Flynn had noticed it too. They were still missing one man.

The charges were read to the public before the 'guards' forced the man onto his knees. Eugen Weidmann didn't look scared or nervous. The fact that he seemed almost at ease had made the team wonder what was going on.

The moment the executioner had raised the axe over his head to make the strike, gunfire could be heard. Screams echoed all across the courtyard. People started to panic, pushing and shoving each other to escape.

The team had been pushed throughout the crowd. They had been jostled about and separated. Lucy and Lee were together, Rufus and Flynn managed to stick together, but Wyatt was on his own.

Flynn knew where Wyatt would head and urged Rufus to follow him through the waves of fleeing people towards the execution block. As they neared, they saw the two guards helping Eugen Weidmann up to his feet, releasing him from his handcuffs.

The Bloodstone men watched as the team started towards them. They opened fired into the crowds of fleeing people. Innocent men and women were being shot. Flynn removed his gun and opened fire back at the Suits.

Eugen and one of the Bloodstone men started to flee towards the back alleys. Flynn had continued to fire at the others. Wyatt spotted the two making their escape and ran after them.

Rufus watched as he hunkered down behind a small stone wall beside Flynn. "There goes Wyatt!" Flynn heard him, but didn't acknowledge the statement. He was too busy trying to take down the two armed men before him.

Lucy and Christopher Lee had also witnessed Wyatt making his way after the fleeing two. Lee turned towards Lucy. "Stay here, miss," he ordered.

She grabbed his arm. "No! What are you doing? Where are you going?"

"To help your friend," Lee replied. "Before it's too late."

"I'm coming with you," she stated.

Lee shook his head. "It's too dangerous for you-"

"It's dangerous for you!" she scolded him.

Lee's face contorted with confusion. He held her scowl for a moment before kneeling before her. "Look," he began softly. "I know these streets. Your friend doesn't. If he's not careful, he's going to have more to worry about than just the two he's running after."

"You're too important-" she stammered. She realized what she had said and internally kicked herself.

Lee narrowed his eyes at her, but chose not to ask anymore questions. Instead, he stood up, holding his hand out for her. "Come on," he said. "We're wasting time."

She took his outstretched hand and the two ran down the back alleys to find Wyatt.

Flynn hunkered down behind the wall, reloading. Rufus asked, "How much more ammo do you have?"

"This is it," Flynn admitted.

"And them?" he asked.

Flynn shot him a disapproving look. He didn't know how much ammo these men had on them. He only hoped they didn't have more than him. When the gunfire had suddenly ceased, Flynn peered over the stone wall carefully. The men were gone.

Scanning the courtyard, Flynn noticed that no one, except the deceased and the two of them, remained.

Rufus stood up slowly, alongside Flynn. "Where'd they go?"

Flynn's eyes darted over to where he had last seen Lucy. She was gone and so was Christopher Lee. He exhaled sharply. Rufus looked over and saw what had upset him. He turned back to Flynn. "Where'd _they_ go?"


	35. Espionage

Wyatt ran through the maze of back alleys, trying to keep up with his targets. It became apparent to him that the two knew these roads well. They navigated through with ease.

Knowing that he had to keep up or else risk losing them entirely, it had pushed Wyatt to keep up with them. He was gaining on them.

Before he had a chance to reach out and stop Weidmann, a small band of thugs had stepped out from the side alleys, stopping his pursuit. He had tried to run around them, but the men grabbed Wyatt, pushing him backwards.

Breathing heavily from the long distance run he had just endured, he glanced about the four thugs before him. "Let me by."  
"Don't think so," the biggest one spat. "See, we work for those blokes."

Wyatt exhaled sharply. "Of course you do," he muttered. He held his ground. "So, what now?"

"Well," the biggest one began. "We were told to stop you, but they didn't tell us how..."

"That leaves it up to us," the short man among the group chimed in. "Your life is essentially in our hands."

Wyatt raised his gun at the men. "I don't want to shoot you, but I will if I have to. Let me by."

The men laughed at him. The sound of a gun cocking behind his ear had alerted Wyatt to another man joining the fray - a man he didn't hear coming. "Funny," the new man stated. "We have one of those too. Drop your gun."

Wyatt lifted his hands up defensively, slowly bending down to drop his gun to the ground. As he started to make his way back to a standing position, the man behind him struck the back of his head, causing him to collapse onto the ground.

The rest of the men didn't hesitate. They rushed forward and began their assault on Wyatt, who couldn't do much to protect himself from their attacks.

Christopher Lee navigated through the maze of alleys. He stopped for a moment, taking in the different directions before saying, "This way."

"How do you know which way to go?" Lucy asked, staying close to Lee.

"I've been exploring this alleys for years," he admitted. "Always an adventure to be had back here."

"It's also incredibly dangerous," she pointed out.

He laughed, leading her further into the alleys. "That's sort of the point. I want to live an adventurous life."

Lucy wanted to tell him all about his amazing and adventurous life that he would end up having. She was in awe of how brave he was, even at 17.

He turned a corner and asked, "So where are you from, Lucy?"

"America," she replied.

"The Land of the Free," quoted Lee. "What brought you here?"

She hesitated in telling him. She wasn't sure what to tell him. When he turned to glance over his shoulder at her, he stated, "You don't have to tell me."

"We're spies," she blurted out.

Lee's eyes widened for a moment. "Spies? You?"

She gave a half shrug. "You seem surprised."

"I guess I never thought you'd be someone to live life as a spy," he stated. He continued walking and admitted, "My step-cousin is very much into espionage - writes the occasional story about a man named Bond."

Lucy smiled at the name. She had forgotten that Ian Fleming and Christopher Lee were step-cousins. Memories of meeting Fleming came rushing over her. God had a sense of humor, she realized.

Lee admitted, "I've often thought about joining the military and becoming a spy - I think that'd be the biggest adventure of all."

"Why are you so keen on becoming a spy?" she asked.

He started to slow his approach through the alleys. He stated, "I guess I started to become fascinated when I was a young boy." He turned to meet her gaze as he continued, "When I was a boy, I lived next door to the actor, Eric Maturin."

Lucy thought over the name before nodding. "The silent movie star?"

"That's the one," he acknowledged. "My family and I were at his house for dinner one night. He introduced us to Prince Yusupov and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich."

Lucy stopped in her tracks. "The men who assassinated Grigori Rasputin?"

Lee halted and turned towards her. "You're familiar with them? I'm surprised, not many are."

"You met them?" she asked, stunned.

He nodded. "They told the story of what happened back then with Rasputin." He studied her face. "Are you okay?"

She nodded slowly in return. "I guess I'm still learning about-" she halted her thoughts. She wanted to say that she was learning a lot about _him_ , but she couldn't say that. Instead, she finished with, "what happened to him back then."

"I wish I still lived next door to Eric," he said, leading her forward again. "Then I'd be able to introduce the two of you."

Before Lucy could reply, Lee had stopped her from continuing forward. They slipped down a side alley as they heard voices approaching them. At first, they couldn't make out what was being said.

The voices grew louder and one of them said, "You should have shot him between the eyes."

"And end his suffering?" another replied.

Another man asked, "Where are we going now?"

"To collect our payment," the second man replied. "They said they'd be waiting for us at the villa in Saint-Cloud."

Laughing ensued as five men walked by them. Lee waited until the thugs had disappeared down the alley. Lee turned back to Lucy, motioning her to cautiously follow him forward.

A few short feet, they had spied a body crumpled up against the wall, covered with a battered blanket. Lucy started to rush forward, but Lee stopped her. "Wait," he warned with a hushed voice. "Allow me."

He approached the mass carefully. He pulled back the battered blanket to reveal a very beaten Wyatt. Lucy gasped in horror, rushing to his side. She grabbed his face gently, lifting his gaze. "Wyatt? Wyatt?" she cried. "Oh God...Wyatt, can you hear me?"

Lee felt Wyatt's pulse line and stated, "He's alive, but barely."

A pair of footsteps were quickly approaching them. Their eyes glanced up to see Flynn and Rufus slowing their advance towards them. When their eyes landed on Wyatt, they blinked at him, mouths hung open in shock.

Lucy's tears cascaded down her cheeks. "We have to get him out of here!"

Lee announced, "There's a doctor nearby, we could take him there-"

Flynn asked, "Do we know who did this?"

"There were some men-" Lucy tried to say.

Lee squeezed her shoulder in comfort before speaking on her behalf, "There was a group of men who left here not too long ago. They said they were hired to do this."

"Where were they headed?" Flynn asked.

"Saint-Cloud," Lee replied. "I'll come with you."

Flynn shook his head. "Sorry," he stated. "I work better alone." He motioned down to Lucy and Wyatt. "Get him to a doctor. I'll be back."

Lucy sniffled as she stated, "You can't do this by yourself!"

Flynn sighed. "We don't have time for this."

Rufus was about to suggest he go with Flynn, but Lee cleared his throat. "You need help," he stated. "I know the quickest way out of these alleys and to Saint-Cloud. I'm also not a bad shot."

"You could be killed," Flynn admitted.

"So could you," Lee countered. "Especially outnumbered."

Rufus asked, "Where's the doctor? I'll take them while you guys do whatever heroes do."

Lee smiled at the thought while Flynn seemed annoyed. "Fine," Flynn finally sighed. "We're wasting time."

Flynn followed Lee towards the rich Saint-Cloud suburb of Paris. Lee asked, "So are you all spies?" Flynn's brows knitted together in confusion. Lee saw the look on his face and added, "Don't worry. Lucy told me. I won't tell anyone."

Flynn gritted his teeth and nodded, playing along with Lucy's story. "Yes, we're spies."

"What's so important about this man?" Lee asked as they continued into the suburb in search of the men who attacked Wyatt.

Flynn scanned the area with his eyes. "I honestly don't know," he admitted. "I know the men who helped him escape are very dangerous people."

"Are those the men you were sent here for?" Lee questioned.

"You ask a lot of questions, do you know that?" Flynn asked, frustrated.

Lee smirked. "I'm inquisitive. There's a difference."

Flynn wanted to roll his eyes, but something grabbed his attention. He pulled Christopher Lee down a dark alley, out of sight. Peering carefully around the corner, they could see the thugs from the alley standing near a water fountain.

"What are they doing?" Lee whispered.

Flynn waited and watched the men. They appeared to be waiting for someone.

They didn't have to wait long. The five thugs turned to address the two black suited men that approached them. The two groups of men exchanged words for a moment.

Flynn whispered, "Whatever happens next, I need you to stay here and cover me." He quickly turned his attention back to the kid. "Do you understand?" Lee nodded.

Turning back to the scene by the fountain, Flynn watched as the suited men opened fire on the five thugs, killing all of them without much resistance.

Lee gasped in shock. He hadn't expected this outcome and based on Flynn's expression, neither was he.

Flynn waited for a moment, wanting to see what Bloodstone was going to do next. The men started to walk away from the bloodbath they created. Flynn slowly followed them back into the suburb.

They entered a villa, closing the door behind them. Lee and Flynn exchanged glances before carefully approaching the villa. Flynn peered cautiously through the window, making sure to stay hidden from those inside.

He noticed three black suited men - two of them were just outside by the fountain, while the third was standing in the center of the room, speaking to someone just out of view.

As he watched the men inside the villa, Lee mouthed, "The police are coming."

Flynn nodded, understanding the predicament they would soon face if they didn't act fast. As if on cue, the man inside that had been just out of view, finally showed himself. Flynn's eyes narrowed as he spotted Eugen Weidmann, dressed in a familiar black suit. He was a Bloodstone man.

Alarms started blaring nearby. Flynn pulled himself away from the window, following Lee around the corner to avoid being spotted by the men inside the villa, as well as the police that were approaching their location.

Lee led Flynn through the suburb until they were out of harm's way. When they were finally out of the path of danger, Lee asked, "What happened back there?"

"He's one of them," Flynn stated.

"Who?" Lee questioned.

"Eugen Weidmann," Flynn said. "He's one of those men that we were sent here to stop."

"You didn't know?" Lee questioned, brows furrowed.

Flynn shook his head, releasing a frustrated sigh. "The thing is," he began. "These men always seem to be one step ahead of us."

"How is that possible?" Lee asked.

Flynn thought over his response. "I think we might have a spy in our midst."

Lee tilted his head at the sentence. "Like a double agent?"

Flynn suppressed a smile as he turned to face the kid. "Yeah," he replied. "Something like that."

"A double agent," the kid repeated. "That sounds like something my step-cousin writes about."

The two continued their trek towards the doctor where the others would be waiting. As they neared the edge of the suburb, they discovered the gates granting access in and out were closed and locked.

Lee shook the gates. "They're locked." He glanced up to see about the potential to climb over them. "What are we going to do?"

Flynn bent down and looked at the lock. He pulled from his pocket a small lock picking set and got to work.

Lee watched with great interest at Flynn's work. While Flynn worked the locks, he told Lee what he was doing, step by step, upon his inquisition. The second the gate's lock clicked, Flynn stood up, putting his kit back into his pocket, and pushed the gate open. He turned to a surprised Lee and said, "In like Flynn."

Lee blinked at the phrase and asked, "What does that mean?"

Flynn shook his head. "It's a phrase...just meaning that it was easy."

The two quickly fled the suburb towards the doctor's office where the rest of the team would be waiting.

Back at the doctor's, Flynn and Lee entered the building. Lucy asked, "What happened?"

Flynn sighed before announcing, "Eugen Weidmann is Bloodstone."

"What?" Rufus asked, stunned. "Seriously?"

Flynn nodded, eyeing Wyatt from his place. "How is he?"

"Not good," Lucy admitted, turning her attention back to Wyatt. "The doctor says he's going to be fine, but he's struggling...We need to get him back to Tenley."

Flynn nodded slowly, taking in what she had suggested. Rufus asked the question that was on everyone's mind, "What about Bloodstone?" An awkward silence fell upon the room. Rufus sighed. "Are we seriously thinking about letting this guy get away?"

"We need to get Wyatt out of here," Lucy repeated. "I'm not a doctor, but I'm not sure that the doctor here knows what he's talking about."

Flynn sighed. "I can't take out all four of them on my own," he pointed out. He motioned to Lee. "Even with help, it would be impossible to stop all of them."

"So," Rufus began. "We're giving up?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Flynn asked, arms crossed over his chest. "If you do, I'd love to hear it."  
Rufus thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No...I don't."

A loud knock landed on the door to the doctor's building. It startled everyone inside. Flynn peered out the window and hissed quietly to the others, "It's the police!"

The doctor entered the room, glancing at the team before opening the door to the police officers that stood outside. "May I help you?"

They forced their way into the building. Their eyes landed on the team. "There was an incident in Saint-Cloud earlier this evening," the officer stated. "Five men were murdered in cold blood." They eyed Flynn and Rufus. "We have been informed that those responsible are here."

The doctor glanced over to the team. "They've been here the whole time."

The officers pointed towards Rufus and Flynn. "Including these two?"

The doctor hesitated for a moment, which was all the officers needed to believe that the doctor was lying to cover for them. "Arrest them!" the officer ordered.

"Wait!" Lucy said, standing up. The doctor shot her a glance, silently pleading for her to stay quiet.

The officers arrested Flynn and Rufus, carting them out of the building.

Lucy scoffed, scanning the room. It was then that she realized that Christopher Lee was missing.

The police shoved Flynn and Rufus into the cell. The iron bars slammed behind them, securing them inside. The police officer in charge leaned close to the bars and spat, "You'll burn for what you've done."

"I doubt that," Flynn muttered. The officer didn't hear what he said, but narrowed his eyes at him. They took their leave of the prison, leaving the two alone.

Rufus paced within the confines of their cell. "What are we going to do now?"

Flynn glanced about the prison in search of inspiration. So far, he was drawing a blank for getting out. He noticed that his lock picking kit was missing from his belongings when the police arrested him and confiscated his things.

Rufus sat down on the cot inside the cell, placing his head into his hands. "What are we going to do, Flynn? Wyatt's not in any shape to be rescuing us-"

"We don't have to wait for Wyatt," Flynn stated confidently.

Rufus groaned. "Meaning what?"

"Your 'Count Dooku' is here to save us," he replied.

Rufus's head snapped up to see Christopher Lee slipping passed the police officers in the opposite room. He stood up and grabbed the iron bars as Lee tiptoed into the room.

Lee motioned for them to stay quiet as he withdrew a familiar kit. Flynn smirked as he watched the young kid pull out the tools and set to work on unlocking their cell, using the instructions Flynn had spoken hours before.

The cell lock clicked, opening for Lee. He stood up straight, handing the kit back to Flynn. "In like Flynn," Lee repeated with a smile.

Rufus chuckled at the phrase. "What?"

"Did I not say that right?" Lee asked Flynn.

Flynn smirked. "You said it right."

Rufus scoffed. "Seriously? That's the phrase you taught him?"

Flynn rolled his eyes as he started towards the desk holding his things. He gathered them up, Rufus in suit, and together, the three ducked out of the prison, heading back towards the doctor's building to pick up Lucy and Wyatt.

On the trip back to the doctor's, Lee filled the two in on what had happened since their arrest. "Those men you were after?" Lee began. "The ones in the suits? They've vanished."

"Vanished?" Rufus repeated.

Lee nodded. "I followed them into an abandoned shipyard. They went in, but when I peered inside, it was empty."

Flynn sighed, knowing what that meant. Bloodstone had gotten what they came for and left as soon as they could - before the team could stop them from leaving. Flynn knew that this battle was lost, much like the others they had encountered as of late.

As they neared the doctor's, Lucy and a badly beaten Wyatt exited. Lucy sighed. "We have got to get out of here."

Rufus helped Lucy with Wyatt. Flynn turned back to Christopher Lee and said, "Thank you for all of your help."

"I should be the one thanking you," he admitted. "You gave me quite an adventure." He smiled wide at Flynn.

Flynn passed the lock picking kit back to Lee. "Here."  
"I can't take that," Lee stated.

"You never know when you'll need it," Flynn replied. "Besides, I can always get another one."

Lee's smile widened as he took the gift from Flynn. "Will I ever see you again?"

"You never know," Flynn admitted. "I know that I'll see you around."

"We should get going," Rufus called out to Flynn. Flynn nodded to Lee and started out with the team. Christopher Lee watched them disappear from his life forever.


	36. Still Of The Night

**Present Day**

The team slowly emerged from the Lifeboat. Tenley relaxed when she spied Flynn exit, seemingly unharmed. She had found herself worrying over his safety since he left.

When her eyes landed on Wyatt, who had his arm over Flynn's shoulders, they widened, blinking at the state of him. She rushed forward, helping Flynn escort him to the infirmary.

Agent Christopher eyed Wyatt as he hobbled by. "What happened?"

Rufus stated, "Count Dooku helped us with a Bloodstone problem."

Denise furrowed her brow at Rufus. "Excuse me?"

Lucy shook her head, rolling her brown eyes. "Christopher Lee."

"I'm confused-" Agent Christopher began.

Lucy waved all the comments aside and stated, "We met Christopher Lee, but that wasn't why Bloodstone was there."

"Bloodstone?" Denise asked. "You're sure it wasn't Rittenhouse?"

"Four men in black suits?" Rufus asked. "Definitely Bloodstone."

"They were there to stop the execution of Eugen Weidmann," Lucy said. "Turns out he was a Bloodstone agent."

After Lucy filled Agent Christopher in on what had happened on the mission and how Wyatt ended up in the condition he was in, Agent Christopher nodded, ordering the team to get some rest while they could.

Jiya walked beside Rufus and asked, "You actually got to meet 'The Man With The Golden Gun'?"

Rufus laughed. "I'll tell you _all_ about him."

Tenley had gotten to work examining Wyatt's battered body. She asked him a series of questions, which he answered as best as he could. He was in a lot of pain.

Flynn stayed in the infirmary, helping Tenley as she needed it. Once she had finished her examination of Wyatt, she had placed his arm in a sling, giving him some pain medications before ordering him to rest.

"For how long?" he groaned.

Tenley looked pained as she stated, "For a while, I'm afraid."

Wyatt didn't seem happy to learn that he'd be out for a while. "Come on, doc...there's got to be something-"

"Wyatt," she started. "You're lucky you're not worse than you are. You had a dislocated elbow, three bruised ribs - not to mention all the other bruises and scrapes all over your body." She sighed. "You're lucky you're even able to stand up at all - let alone see out of your left eye since your cornea is semi-detached from the retina." She could see the disappointment in his face. She spoke softer, "You need some time to recover. The sooner you recover, the sooner you can rejoin the team."

"What do you mean, rejoin?" Wyatt asked. He turned to Flynn, thinking he missed something. Flynn's brows had knitted together, turning his attention back to Tenley.

She glanced between the two. "The Mothership had jumped shortly before you returned. They're in London, 1888."

"No rest for the wicked," Flynn muttered the quote.

Wyatt shook his head. "I should be going out there-"

"I know," Tenley admitted. "But you're not going. You can barely stand up straight." She started to help him towards his room. "Best place for you to be is in bed."

After Flynn helped Tenley get Wyatt into his own bed, he stopped her a short few feet from his door. "When did the Mothership jump?"

"Like I said earlier," she started. "Just before you returned."

"Exactly, how long before?" he asked.

She thought for a moment. "I'm not _exactly_ sure, but I'd say maybe 20-30 minutes before you returned." She narrowed her eyes at him, "Why?"

He pulled her close to him, lowering his mouth to her ear. "I think we might have a spy in our midst," he whispered.

The whisper sent shivers down her spine. The look on her face showed pure fear behind her eyes. If what he was saying was true, it could change everything with their mission.

Before she had a chance to ask any questions, he whispered again, "I don't know who, so I'm hoping you can keep this between us."

"How do you know it's not me?" she asked softly.

He smirked. "Because I know."

He stepped away from her, heading back into the main area. She stared after him before she followed him.

Back in the main living area, Agent Christopher was explaining the situation. "We noticed about twenty-six minutes before you returned that the Mothership had jumped to London, 1888."

Lucy's face scrunched up. "London? That's...that's Jack the Ripper."

Agent Christopher glanced up at Tenley and Flynn as they approached. She said, "I'll assume based on how Wyatt looked when you returned that he's out of commission for this mission." Tenley nodded. Denise sighed, adding, "That means you'll be joining this mission, Doc."

Flynn turned slightly to meet the doctor's eyes. He could tell that she knew it was coming, but was still showing signs of disappointment for having to go. He offered a small smile before turning his attention back to Agent Christopher.

Agent Christopher continued, "I don't need to tell you to be careful. I think that speaks for itself here. We'll do what we can on our end-"

"We're wasting time," Flynn interjected. "They left over two hours ago. We should go."

Once everyone had agreed, they started for the Lifeboat. The hatch closed behind them.

Flynn finished buckling himself into the chair and his eyes lifted to see Tenley had strapped herself in, but her eyes were squeezed shut. He smirked slightly. He knew that she didn't like traveling through time, but he admired that she hadn't complained this time.

The Lifeboat disappeared from the bunker.

 **1888**

Flynn and Rufus had found clothes easily to change into. They patiently waited for the women to finish dressing so they could head further into the slums of Whitechapel where they knew Jack the Ripper was reported to be running rampant.

Their eyes lifted when they heard the women approaching. Lucy had dressed herself in a lavender corded silk afternoon dress which made her look like a wealthy woman. She was fiddling with a few stubborn strands of hair that refused to stay pinned up in the back.

Flynn's eyes had been glued to Tenley. She was dressed in a blue and gold floral silk dress with ruching and lace at the bodice, pushing her breasts up slightly. The dress had emphasized her figure in such a way that Flynn found himself unable to do anything but stare at her. She was beautiful.

She kept fidgeting with the lace at the top of her bodice, trying to get it to cover up more of her cleavage. She was muttering something under her breath.

Lucy gently swatted her hands at Tenley's. "Stop," she spoke in hushed tones. "You look great. Stop fussing...you'll attract attention."

"And this won't?" Tenley asked, motioning to her chest. When her eyes lifted up and met Flynn's, she turned a shade of red.

He cleared his throat, breaking his intense stare and turned his attention back to Lucy. "So, what do you suggest we do?"

Lucy began to explain what the team already knew about Jack the Ripper. She stated that she needed to find out what the exact date was because it would help her try and figure out which victim of Jack's would be next.

The team walked through the slums of Whitechapel. Tenley's eyes continued darting about as she walked, catching men staring at her. She tensed under their watchful eye.

Rufus tried to reassure her. "You look good."

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "I think that's what makes me uncomfortable."

Lucy had stopped to look at a newspaper that was dumped onto the ground. Picking it up, she scanned the front in search of a date. When she found it, she announced, "September 28th...That's two days before Jack kills two different women."

"So," Rufus began. "What exactly are we hoping to do here? Are we going to stop the Ripper from murdering these women? What's Rittenhouse doing here?"

Lucy shook her head. "I don't know...it could be that they're not here for Jack-"

"And it could be that he's another Bloodstone man," Flynn retorted. "The point is, we need to figure out where they are before it's too late. Like it has been for a while."

"Are we sure that we are even supposed to be here?" Tenley asked. "Is there no one else in history that matters here?"

Lucy shrugged. "It's hard to say. I mean, everyone matters..."

"You know what I mean," Tenley muttered. "I just wonder if this is a set up, like you guys have experienced before. It's just odd that we're even here with no real understanding-"

"Move along!" a police officer shouted to amassing crowds. "Move along!"

The team turned to see what was going on. The crowds were muttering about what they were seeing beyond the police barricade. Lucy asked, "What's happening?"

"They found another poor girl," an elderly woman replied. "Poor thing was ripped to shreds. I hope they find the maniac responsible."

Lucy stepped closer towards the barricade to see for herself. When she spotted the body, her brows furrowed. She could overhear the inspectors talking about the body.

"Her left artery was severed on the left," the younger man stated. "That's most likely what killed her."

The older man replied, "But the lack of mutilation makes me believe that we're dealing with a copy cat, and not the real Ripper."

Lucy's eyes darted away from the inspectors and to the police who were interviewing 'witnesses'. Their stories seemed unable to match up. They all claimed to have seen this woman with a man, but they couldn't agree on what the man was wearing.

She turned around to the team. She walked passed them, forcing them to follow her off to the side where they wouldn't be heard. Lucy inhaled deeply before saying, "This doesn't make sense."

"What's that?" Rufus asked.

"I think this is one of the women that Jack murdered, but she's not supposed to die until the 30th..." Lucy replied, losing her words as she tried to think.

"Maybe this is a Bloodstone or Rittenhouse thing, like Flynn said," Tenley whispered. "Maybe they know that we're here and are picking up the pace?"

Lucy sighed, unable to provide answers. Nothing was making sense these days. She felt powerless.

"Let's try and focus," Flynn suggested. "Who's next after this one?"

Lucy closed her eyes, trying to think. When her eyes opened, she stated, "Catherine Eddowes would be the next victim, if this Jack sticks to the original history."

"Where do we find her?" Flynn questioned.

Lucy thought briefly before nodding. "Her body was found in Mitre Square."

"Then that's the best place to start," Flynn replied, motioning for the team to follow.

The walk to Mitre Square was a lengthy one. When they finally arrived, it was starting to get dark.

"Now what?" Rufus asked, scanning the area. People were either heading to the bar or going home. The streets were starting to become empty while an eerie fog rolled in.

Lucy shrugged. "We ask around to see if anyone has seen her?"

"How many people are going to know who she is by name?" Tenley asked. She felt stupid for asking the question, but she didn't know. In a large city like London, she didn't think that anyone would remember one woman out of thousands. She wondered if she was projecting.

Flynn glanced at Tenley briefly before saying, "Let's see what we can find out."

Lucy tried to explain, "She was a prostitute, so it's possible that many people would know who she is by name." Tenley nodded in understanding, thankful that Lucy offered an explanation.

Inside the busy bar, the team could barely enter. They pushed their way inside. They managed to get into the corner of the room. They scanned the crowded room, looking for someone that would fit the description of Catherine.

There were a few promiscuous women lingering about the room. Rufus muttered something under his breath about it being a brothel. One such woman approached Flynn.

Her hands slid up his chest towards his shoulders before coming to rest on top. Tenley's eyes widened, brow furrowed, clearly disapproving this woman's behavior.

Flynn had stiffened, pulling the woman's hands off his shoulders. He asked, "I'm looking for Catherine."  
"You can call me Catherine, if you want to," the woman replied, lust lacing her words.

Flynn glared down at the woman. "I'm not interested, but I am trying to locate Catherine."

"What for?" the woman asked, seemingly pouting.

"She's an old friend," he stated.

The woman let loose a cackle. "That's what they all say," she stated. "She left about twenty minutes ago."

"Was she alone?" Lucy asked.

"I'm not talking to you, sweetheart," the woman spat.

Flynn gritted his teeth and demanded, "Answer the question. Was she alone?"

"No," the woman replied, stepping away from Flynn. She had finally realized that he was being serious about not wanting to fool around with her. "She left with one of her gentleman callers."

"Which way did she go?" he asked. The woman shrugged and disappeared into the crowded bar.

Flynn's eyes landed on a disapproving Tenley. He offered her an apologetic expression as the team forced their way outside.

"Where would she go?" Flynn asked Lucy.

Lucy sighed, glancing up and down the foggy alleyways. "I don't know. She might have taken them back to her place...or..."

"Or?" Rufus asked.

"Often times, when the streets are empty like this," she started. "They...you know..."

"In the streets?" Rufus balked. "That's sanitary."

Tenley smirked, but didn't say anything. She agreed with Rufus, but she was still upset with Flynn for what happened in the bar.

Flynn sighed. "Let's go. Hopefully, we'll get lucky and find her."

"Like you almost did?" Rufus joked. Tenley rolled her eyes, releasing a short groan at his jab.

After walking down the back road for a few minutes, the road suddenly split. The team stopped, looking up and down the two roads. "What do we do now?" Rufus asked.

"We split up," Flynn stated.

Rufus furrowed his brow as he whipped his head around to look at Flynn. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Flynn released a heavy sigh. "Do you have a better solution? We don't have a lot of time."

"You're the only one with a gun," Rufus pointed out.

Flynn gritted his teeth, removing another gun from his inside pocket. He handed it over to Rufus and said, "Now we both have a gun."

Rufus stared at the gun in his hand like it was the plague. "Seriously?"

Lucy could see the frustrations growing on Flynn's expressions. "It's fine..." she said, turning around to Rufus. "It's fine. We'll be fine. Besides, he's right. We need to cover more ground."

Tenley stood there, glancing between the three, feeling uncomfortable and awkward at the situation. She knew that if Wyatt were present, they'd be on their way already because Wyatt could handle himself, much like Flynn could.

Rufus sighed heavily before caving into the plan. "Fine," he stated. "What do we do if we find her?"

"Keep her alive," Flynn replied. "We need to find a place to meet up after some time." He checked his watch. "Shall we meet back in the square in twenty?"

Rufus glanced at his watch. "Twenty minutes. Okay..."

Tenley fully expected to be going with Rufus, but was surprised when Lucy and Rufus started down the alley to the right. "Uh," she muttered. "Okay then..." She turned around to see Flynn looking at her. She shifted in her place before asking, "Shall we?"

He blinked at her, nodding slowly before he turned and began to lead them down the alley to the left.

The walk was silent for a few minutes. Finally, Flynn broke the silence saying, "You've been quiet for a while." Tenley hummed a response but still didn't say anything. "What's on your mind, Nine?" he asked.

She lifted her eyes up to meet his. "Nothing."

"Liar," he retorted.

She scoffed. "I-I am not." He gave her a side glance telling her that he knew better. She sighed and said, "I just feel useless, that's all." Flynn opened his mouth to reply, but she continued, "If Wyatt were here, there'd be no hesitation in separating. I sort of muck up your abilities to accomplish your missions."

"That's not true," he said, stopping them.

She softly chuckled. "Now who's the liar?"

The two held each other's gaze for a moment. Tenley felt her heart racing as she stared into his eyes. She studied the look behind his eyes as he looked at her. The intense emotion behind them were mimicking the look he had on that abandoned highway.

A tin can being kicked down the alley had broken their gaze. Tenley's eyes darted into the fog-filled alley to see who was coming. Flynn wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into a short alley nearby.

He pushed her against the wall, covering her with his body. She could feel his body pressed hard against her, his heart pounding through his clothes, vibrating against her chest. She could no longer smell the scents of the city as her nose was filled with his musk. She lifted her eyes to look up at him.

She noticed that his arms were on either side of her head, caging her in protectively. Flynn's eyes darted from the alley to her. His eyes softened as he held her gaze. He studied her features, memorizing all the little details that graced her face. He noticed how long her lashes were, the darkness of her eyes when she was scared, and how her cheeks reddened in the cold - or it could be due to his proximity to her, he couldn't tell.

He could feel her breathing had picked up slightly, heart beating fast like his. His eyes drifted down to her parted lips. Before he could stop himself, he crashed his lips onto hers, pressing them both harder against the brick wall.

They melted together, forgetting all about the dangers that lurked in the alley with them. All that seemed to matter to them had been each other. Tenley gasped against his mouth, feeling the need to breathe or she'd be too consumed in the moment. He forced himself away from her, remembering where they were.

He blinked at her, seeing her lips were slightly pinker than normal. He could see her skin prickle with goose bumps, and he wasn't sure if it was because of their kiss or the cold air around them.

He stepped away from her, peering around the corner to find that the alley was still void of people. He looked back to her, whispering, "Come on. Let's get out of here." She nodded, somewhat stunned as she followed closely behind him.


	37. Night Of Fate

Rufus glanced at his watch, sighing in frustration. "We better head back. I hope they found something on their end."

Lucy shook her head, mirroring Rufus's frustrations. She hoped they could have found Catherine, but they hadn't even seen one person since they entered this alley. They saw plenty of animals, but not a single person.

As the two started back towards the square, they heard a woman scream. Quickly glancing at each other, they took off down the alley towards the screams.

Rounding the corner into the main alley, the two spotted a suited man attacking a woman with knife and trying to stab her. Rufus shouted, "Hey!"

The man glanced up quickly. He saw Rufus aiming his gun at him and he took off down the alley where Flynn and Tenley had gone.

Rufus fired a round, trying to stop the man, but his bullet missed the target. He was about to give chance when Lucy shouted, "Rufus!"

He rushed over to Lucy's side. The woman was still alive, but bleeding out.

Lucy placed her hand over the woman's neck, trying to still the bleeding. "We need Tenley!"

Rufus stood up and said, "I'll go after them. Be right back."

"Be careful!" Lucy shouted as he disappeared down the alley where the attacker had taken off.

Lucy turned her attention back to the woman. "Don't speak," she cooed. "We've got a doctor friend...hopefully she'll make it in time."

The poor woman on the ground nodded, crying and moaning in pain. She kept trying to speak, but eventually gave up.

Flynn and Tenley heard the gunfire and stopped dead in their tracks in the middle of the alley. Tenley looked over at Flynn. "Was that-"

"Rufus," he announced, pulling Tenley's hand as they ran down the alley towards the exit.

As they rounded the corner, a man bowled them over. Tenley cried out as she fell to the ground. Flynn was knocked backwards into the wall. He recovered his footing and eyed the man as he disappeared into the fog.

Flynn bent down and helped Tenley to her feet. "Are you all right?"

Tenley nodded. "Yeah...I'm okay."

Footsteps came rushing up behind them. Flynn raised his gun as the man suddenly appeared. It was Rufus.

Rufus saw Flynn aiming his gun at him and raised his hands instinctively. "Whoa! It's me!"

"We heard you fire the gun," Tenley admitted. "Are you guys okay? Where's Lucy?"

"We need you," Rufus announced, looking at Tenley.

"What happened?" she asked, worried for Lucy.

Rufus started to lead them back through the alley. He explained, "I think we found Catherine."

When they rounded the corner and saw Lucy with a bleeding woman, Tenley rushed over. She slowly moved Lucy's hands to assess the damage. The woman was still alive, barely awake.

"She's losing a lot of blood," Tenley stated quietly. She ripped part of her dress hem off and wrapped it around the woman's neck. She looked at the woman and said, "You're going to be okay, but we need to get to a doctor with supplies."

The woman shook her head. Tenley furrowed her brow. The woman motioned to a door nearby. Tenley and Lucy turned to look at the door before exchanging glances.

"That door?" Tenley asked, pointing. The woman nodded. "Is that your home?" the doctor asked. The woman nodded again. "Okay."

Tenley looked up at Flynn and Rufus. "I'm going to need help getting her inside."

Lucy was already approaching the door and opened it. Inside, she set to the task of turning on the oil lamps for light. Tenley held the door open as Flynn carried the woman inside.

Tenley looked at the dining room table, clearing everything off the top of it. "Place her on the table," she ordered. She bent over the woman and asked, "Do you have a sewing kit?"

The woman nodded, pointing to a small desk near the bed. Lucy threw the drawer open, searching until she found the kit.

"Alcohol?" Tenley asked. The woman pointed again, and Rufus grabbed the bottles.

Tenley looked up and ordered, "Someone boil some water, please. I also need some kind of clean cloth...or as clean as you can find."

She turned her gaze to Flynn. "I'm going to need you to hold her still." He nodded, approaching the table where the woman lay.

Tenley looked down at the woman's face. She bent down close and whispered, "I need to stitch you up...it's going to hurt, but I have to do it. Do you understand?" The woman cried, but nodded that she fully understood what Tenley had said. Tenley stood up straighter, whispering, "Okay...and I'm sorry in advance."

She started to unwrap the dressing from the woman's neck. She placed her hand over the woman's neck, keeping slight pressure on the wound.

Flynn watched Tenley's eyes darting back and forth in thought. She muttered to herself, "I can feel the artery...he didn't sever that, that's good..."

She sighed heavily, turning to Rufus. "I need you to thread that needle with the string in the kit." Rufus struggled, but eventually got it, passing it over to her with shaky hands. Tenley thanked him as she took it.

She looked down at the woman. "Okay, here we go."

She met Flynn's gaze, nodding that he'd need to keep her still. Her eyes turned back to the wound and she began stitching up the woman's neck with the seemingly dull needle.

It took over two hours for Tenley to finish stitching the woman's neck up. After ten minutes of the woman screaming and bucking on the table, she had passed out, allowing them to finish in silence.

Tenley checked the woman's vitals, making sure that she was still alive. Tenley wasn't convinced the woman would survive the night, given how much blood she had lost during the attack and stitching. She sighed a heavy sigh.

Flynn studied the doctor. He had never seen her work quite like that before. She was calm and collected, but incredibly nervous now that it was over. He saw that she was covered in blood - even her face had traced of blood smeared across it.

"What do we do now?" Rufus asked.

Tenley's eyes were still fixated on the pale woman laying on the table. "Pray she lives long enough to tell us what happened," she stated.

Pounding on nearby doors could be heard. It alerted the team as the pounding got closer. Flynn peeked outside the curtain. He cursed under his breath before letting the curtain fall. "It's the police."

Tenley's face fell as she glanced down at herself. She was caked in blood. She knew how bad this looked. "What do we do?" she whispered the question.

The pounding was next door. Muffled voices could be heard.

Flynn and Tenley exchanged glances before the pounding landed on their door. They heard a man shout through the door, "Police!"

Tenley's pleading eyes landed on the woman. She was still unconscious. She sighed, knowing there was nothing to do but face whatever was coming.

The police pounded on the door again. The handle to the door turned and the police pushed their way inside, armed and ready. The team tossed their hands up instinctively, trying to show them that they were unarmed, but the officers kept their weapons trained on the team.

The police saw the scene inside the small apartment and the pale woman on the table. They scanned the team's faces before one man stepped forward. "What is going on in here?"

Tenley stepped forward bravely. "I'm a doctor," she began. "This woman was attacked just outside her home...her throat was slit. The man who attacked her managed to escape, but we were able to help her."

"Why didn't you take her to the hospital down the road?" the police officer questioned.

"She wouldn't have made it," Tenley stated. "We barely managed to keep her from bleeding out."

The man asking questions had stepped forward, checking the woman on the table. He examined the stitching in her neck before turning his gaze back to Tenley. He took in her clothing and the amount of blood that was on her.

"If I didn't know better," the man began. "I'd say you were responsible for her wound."

"What?" Tenley gasped.

"You're covered in blood-" he started to say.

Tenley tried to talk over him, "That's what happens when you're helping a person who is bleeding out!"

"And you're wearing clothes that had been reported stolen!" he shouted over her. Tenley was at a loss as to what to say to that. The officer shook his head and motioned for his officers to arrest her. "It's a shame when the gentler sex turns to violence."

The officers grabbed Tenley, who struggled slightly before stopping for fear of what might happen to the others. "Please," Tenley tried to say. "Wait until she wakes up! I'm sure she'll tell you what happened!"

"Oh, I have every intention of talking to her should she survive what you did to her," the man stated. "But in the meantime, you'll be spending your time rotting in a jail cell."

Tenley's eyes darted over to Flynn. She stared at him, afraid and clearly unsure as to what to do. He offered her a reassuring glance, hoping she knew that he'd be coming for her soon enough.

The officers escorted Tenley down the foggy lane towards the prison.

Tenley sighed before saying, "Please, listen to me-"

One of her escorts landed a punch to her gut, silencing her and bringing her to her knees. Tenley gasped for air, grimacing at the blow.

The officer in charge bent down before her. He gripped the hair on the top of her head, lifting her face to look at him. "You don't get to speak," he hissed. "You don't do anything unless I tell you to. Do you understand?"

Breathing heavily, she nodded. The escorts lifted her back to her feet and pushed her forward behind the man in charge.

They rounded the corner, walking deeper into the alleys. The fog was growing thicker the further in they went. Suddenly, the officer in charge stopped them. He turned around and asked, "Did you say something?"

Tenley's brow furrowed. She shook her head. She hadn't said anything. She also didn't hear anything.

The noise around them was too quiet. The hairs on Tenley's body stood at attention. Something felt wrong, and she could tell the officers with her felt the same way.

The man in charge pushed Tenley towards the wall. He pointed his finger in her face. "You stay here," he ordered. "Do you understand me?"

Nodding, Tenley rested her back against the wall, almost willing herself to disappear into it.

The men scanned the alley with weapons drawn. It was clear to Tenley that they were waiting for someone to approach them.

Footsteps could be heard running towards them. As if a ghost appearing from thin air, a woman stopped short of the men. "Please!" she begged. "You have to help me! He's killing her!"

The officer in charge ordered his men to follow the woman. He turned back to Tenley and grabbed her arm, leading her in a different direction.

"What about your men?" Tenley asked. "Aren't you going to help them?"

"And leave you alone so you can escape?" the man spat. "I don't think so. Now, shut up!" He jerked Tenley's arm, causing her to misstep and stumble slightly.

Rounding the corner again, they spotted a silhouette looming in the alley before them. It caused both to stop in their tracks to watch.

The officer shouted, "Hello? Who's there?"

The figure in the fog started to approach. Tenley felt the officer's hold on her arm tighten. She could tell that he was just as afraid of the approaching man as she was.

When the man finally emerged from the fog, Tenley couldn't make out his features under the cloak he was wearing. The man held a cane in his left hand, dressed in a black suit under the brown cloak.

The officer pushed Tenley towards the wall, aiming his gun forward at the man. "I want you to raise your hands!" The cloaked man went to raise his hands, still holding the cane. "Drop your cane!" the officer ordered.

As the officer approached the cloaked man, the cloaked man had unsheathed his hidden sword, swinging it so quickly that Tenley almost missed it. Tenley fell to her knees.

Blood splattered across the wall nearby as the officer fell face down into the wet cobblestone road. Tenley felt the urge to scream, but the bile in her stomach was making its way out. She fought to keep from throwing up.

The cloaked man sheathed his sword and stood two feet from Tenley. Wide eyed, Tenley asked with a shaky voice, "Who are you? What do you want?"

The man lifted the hood of his cloak, allowing it to fall to his shoulders, revealing himself to her.

The second his face was visible to her, Tenley gasped. "You!" Standing before her was Jack from the Pulaski disaster. The very man who had shot her all those months ago.

"I must say," he began. "I am sorry that I mistook you for Lucy. I can see now that you two are nothing alike."

Tenley shook with fear. She didn't know what he was planning on doing to her now that he knew that she wasn't Lucy.

He tilted his head at her. "I take it you're not happy to see me?"

"Should I be?" she asked, voice barely a whisper.

Jack smirked. "I just saved you from being imprisoned here. Shouldn't that count for something?" He bent down, grabbing her elbow, lifting her to her feet. "What? No hug?" He laughed and added, "I can't say that I can blame you, not after our last hug."

Tenley tried to pull away from him, but his grip was too aggressive. She asked, "What do you want?"

Jack began to lead the doctor down the lane. "To help you."

"What does that mean? Help me with what?" she asked. She tried to keep track of the directions they went in case she saw the opportunity to escape. She didn't want to wind up in a dead-end.

Jack smirked again. "All Bloodstone wants in the end is to help people."

"Right," she scoffed. She didn't believe him - it was hard to.

"You disagree?" he asked. "What makes you think otherwise?"

Tenley wanted to laugh. There were so many instances she could use as examples. She thought about where to even begin, but Jack continued.

"After I left you in that woods," he started. "I realized my mistake. When we first met, I didn't think you were Lucy, but my partners assured me that you were. When I met you on the Pulaski, I sincerely thought you were just another passenger."

"How is it possible that the same mistake had been made so many times?" Tenley asked. She knew that she and Lucy looked nothing alike. Sure, there were some slight similarities, but that was a fine line to cross.

Jack turned her down another alley as he continued, "Believe it or not, Rittenhouse and Bloodstone aren't exactly allies in this war."

"War?" Tenley repeated.

Jack nodded. "What else would you call it?"

"What are you fighting for?" she asked, brow furrowed. She wanted him to keep talking in hopes that he'd reveal to her the secrets of the two.

"A better future," Jack said. Tenley felt that was a cop-out excuse. Jack cleared his throat and said, "I pity you, you know."

They stopped and Tenley asked, "Why?"

Jack turned to face her. "We've changed history numerous times," he admitted. "More than you can ever realize."

"So," she started, drawing out the word. "What does that have to do with me?"

Jack gave her a small chuckle. "No matter how many times we changed history, and tried to change it for our own purposes, one thing always seemed to remain the same."

As Tenley held Jack's gaze, she saw movement behind him in the fog. She didn't want to look in case it was Flynn and the others. Instead, she asked, "What was the same?"

"Your family," Jack replied.

"What?" she gasped.

Jack laughed. "For whatever reason, no matter how many times we tried to change the outcome of your family - to make your life better so you wouldn't join Agent Christopher and the others - the result was always the same," he stated. He shook his head, clearly amused. "They hate you. No amount of time travel is going to change that, is it?"

Tenley blinked at him. She didn't realize that he had been traveling back in time to keep her from joining the team. "What did you do?"

"Nothing much," Jack stated. "Besides, you wouldn't know the differences, even if I told you. They'd sound like stories." He started them back down the alley again. "You know, I must say, I'm surprised you didn't take Gabriel up on his offer."

"Why would I have?" she asked. "I didn't love him."

"Love," he scoffed. "Everything always comes back to that, doesn't it?" He pulled her along and admitted, "I figured that you'd accept the offer to save his brother."

"His brother doesn't need to be saved," Tenley pointed out, hoping Flynn was following them.

"Then his family," Jack retorted. "Let him find his happiness once more." Tenley remained silent. Jack shook his head. "See, there's more at work here than you can possibly imagine."

"You said you thought I was another passenger on the Pulaski," Tenley said, trying to distract him into talking more.

Jack nodded, pulling her along. "When I saw you, I didn't expect you to be part of the team Agent Christopher assembled. You didn't seem the type." Tenley furrowed her brow at his choice of words. He continued, "I had every intention of leaving you alone on the shore, but that's when my comrades told me that you were Lucy. I followed my orders."

"You told me that my 'mother sends her regards'," she quoted. "Did you mean Lucy's mom?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, obviously."

"Why would she want Lucy dead?" Tenley asked.

Jack stopped them for a moment to look her in the eyes. "Lucy is an important piece to the Rittenhouse order. Since Bloodstone and Rittenhouse have been at odds for a while, we believe that if we eliminate Lucy from history, we can turn the tides of this war."

Tenley swallowed nervously. "But that doesn't make sense."

He pulled her along again. "Which part?"

"Is her mother Bloodstone or Rittenhouse?" she questioned.

Jack smirked. "I guess you could say she's a bit of both."

"What does that mean?" Tenley asked, clearly confused.

"She's Rittenhouse royalty, as you're aware," Jack began. "But she's also something of a double agent."

Tenley scoffed as she took in the information. "How do you know she's truly a part of your team and not working against you?"

"Because she's responsible for founding Bloodstone," Jack admitted.

"What?" gasped Tenley.

Jack's smile widened and it terrified the doctor. He stated, "The thing you fail to understand is just how much Bloodstone knows, how much they're involved in everything that you do - everything you know. We're everywhere."

"But..." Tenley paused. "Emma freed you from your opium addictions-"

"Did she?" Jack asked. "Or is it because we wanted her to believe that?"

Tenley's head was swimming. She couldn't keep the facts straight anymore. She was struggling to understand what he was telling her.

Jack stopped them in a dead-end. Tenley realized too late that they hadn't been heading out of the alley maze but further into them. He cornered her in the dead-end. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "The thing you fail to realize," he started. "Bloodstone knows everything. I'm sure that you've been seeing Emma occasionally wherever you're traveling, only to see her disappear?"

Tenley thought back over the times they had seen Emma, only to lose her shortly thereafter, as if she had traveled back through time before they could reach her.

Jack saw that she was recalling details of missions past. He asked, "Don't you find it odd that she disappears from that era and suddenly you're failing missions?" Tenley nodded slowly, hoping he'd keep talking. He smirked. "She's scouting ahead for Rittenhouse to see what Bloodstone is doing. We're ahead of even Rittenhouse - _That's_ how far ahead of everyone we are. _We_ are winning this war!"

"What is it that you're doing then?" Tenley questioned. She realized at this moment that Jack had been telling her all of this because he had no intention of letting her live. This time, taking on the role of Jack the Ripper, he wouldn't fail in killing her.

Jack held her gaze, knowing she had figured out why they were there. He asked, "Have you noticed people in history suddenly disappearing?" She nodded. He continued, "We're amassing an army with those people - training them and preparing them for what is to come."

"And what is that?" she questioned.

Jack shook his head. "Sorry, but I've already told you too much."  
"You're going to kill me anyways," she pointed out. "What's the point?"

He chuckled. "What better way to kill those who travel through time than to utilize those in history? No one would see it coming - not Rittenhouse and certainly not you and your team."

Tenley tilted her head at him. "What's the point? I don't understand why either group is doing what they're doing-"

"Why does anyone do what they do?" Jack asked. "Some for power, money, fame... Some want democracy, tyranny... it just depends on who you ask."

"When does it all end?" Tenley asked.

Jack lowered his gaze for a moment before looking back at her. "When one side has won and only one person remains standing."

"Wait," she sighed. "One person - not one group?"

"I'm sure that eventually, once one group wins, there will be doubt within the ranks and those individuals will be meet with unsavory ends," Jack admitted. "I'm sure those eliminated would instill more doubt in those remaining, and the cycle continues."

"Then why bother?" she asked.

"Because," he started. "Rittenhouse needs to pay for what they've done."

Tenley could see the familiar pain behind Jack's eyes. She asked, "What did they do to you?"

Jack sighed heavily, seemingly growing tired of the conversation. "Let's just say that your Flynn and I have more in common than you could possibly imagine."

She furrowed her brow at him. "Meaning what?"

He held her stare with an intense anger behind his eyes. "Rittenhouse had traveled through time and killed my family."

"So, you're seeking revenge?" she asked carefully.

He gave a short smile. "Wouldn't you?" He took a step forward. "You've met my parents, haven't you? Wouldn't you seek revenge?"

Tenley stared at him, confused. "Your parents... I never..."

Jack stood before her, holding her gaze. He waited as she stared into his blue eyes. As she held his gaze, she could see familiar features. It took her mind a moment to make the connection. When it came to her, it hit her so hard, all the air from her lungs escaped her lips.

She blinked at him, stunned. "Wyatt?"

Jack smiled. "That's my father."

"And your mother?" Tenley asked.

Jack tilted his head at her. "I guess you haven't met my mother yet. Her name was Jessica."

Tenley's eyes widened. She didn't understand what was going on. Jack could see the confusion written on her face. He stated, "I'm from the future, Tenley. A different future than what we're creating."

"No-no...that's..." Tenley was at a loss for words.

Jack nodded. He took another step towards her. "I'm sorry, I am," he apologized. Tenley spied the sword in his hand. This time, there'd be no surviving such an attack. He wouldn't fail twice, she knew this.

Before he could raise his hand to attack, multiple gunfire had erupted in the alley. Tenley could see the gun blasts behind Jack. She found herself hunkered down on her knees as Jack had been shot in the back numerous times. As he fell to the ground, he choked on words he tried to say.

Tenley leaned over him. He didn't have long and she knew it.

He whispered, "Be...ware...Rey...nolds..."

"Reynolds?" Tenley asked. "Who is that? Jack?"

The life behind Jack's blue eyes disappeared. He was dead. She sighed, falling against the brick wall behind her, eyes still glued to Jack.

"Miss?" an unfamiliar voice spoke. "Are you all right?"

Tenley forced herself to look up at the man standing before her. It was one of the police officers that had escorted her from Catherine's house. She swallowed, glancing around him. There were five more officers, Rufus, Lucy, and Flynn.

"Are you all right?" the man asked again, squatting down before her.

She blinked back to him. "Yes, I'm okay..."

He held his hand out to her, helping her to her feet. She felt shaky on her feet. The man helped steady her as he escorted her back to the group.

She asked, "What happened?"

"The woman you helped woke up," the officer stated. "She was able to corroborate what you had suggested earlier. We came as soon as we could to find you."

Tenley nodded aimlessly. Her head was still swimming with everything Jack had told her. She was still trying to make sense of it all. The officer turned to the team. "Take care of her," the man stated. "She's been through a lot."

"We will," Rufus replied. He muttered softly, "As soon as we get the hell out of dodge."

The officers began to examine Jack's body as the team started to make their way out of the alleys and back towards home.


	38. Don't Be Afraid

**A/N: Thank you everyone for your reads, reviews, and messages. I appreciate it more than you know. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Present Day**

Tenley spent the first few hours back filling Agent Christopher and the team in on what transpired between her and Jack. She informed them that Jack was the same Jack from the Pulaski disaster. She told them everything he had told her regarding Rittenhouse and Bloodstone. She turned her attention towards the battered Wyatt to tell him that Jack was his son from the future - the one he'd have with Jessica. Towards the end of the conversation, she told them the warning Jack had given her about someone names 'Reynolds'.

Lucy's head whipped around at the mention. She had stated that Edgar Allen Poe had been found muttering something about a Reynolds shortly before he died. She was convinced that it was related.

When Tenley finished regaling the team with the conversations she had with Jack, she left to clean up. She stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, taking in her reflection. She understood why the police back in 1888 thought she had attacked that woman. She was covered in blood; even her face had dried streaks of blood across her forehead and cheek.

She turned to use the mirror as an aid to untie the dress from behind. She struggled. She let her arms fall to her sides, sighing heavily out of frustration. She just wanted to shower and scrub the grime and blood from her body. She began to hate historical fashion with a passion.

She opened the door to the bathroom and bumped into Flynn. She took a step backwards. "Sorry."

He examined her face, concern gradually growing on his face. "Are you all right?"

"I just need a shower," she grumbled. "I can't get the ties undone on this stupid dress. I was going to grab Lucy or Jiya-"

He motioned for her to return to the bathroom. Once they returned inside the bathroom, he closed the door, motioning with his finger for her to turn around. She hesitated for a moment before turning around to allow him access to the ties.

She could feel his fingers tugging at the ties on the back of the dress, loosening them as he went.

"Are you going to lecture me?" she asked, breaking the silence.

He furrowed his brow at her words. "Should I be lecturing you?"

"I was kidnapped again," she pointed out.

"No," he sighed. "Not really."

"Still," she replied, sounding defeated. "I got myself into a situation that required rescuing. _Again_."

He smirked, still working on the ties on her dress. "Different situation, Nine."

Her eyes closed at the sound of his nickname for her. He hadn't called her that in a while. It reminded her of better days.

She felt the bodice of her dress give away, telling her that the ties were loosened. She felt his fingers helping with the petticoat underneath. The ties to her petticoat didn't take as long to undo and she felt his fingers gently graze her skin.

The brief contact his fingers had with her back caused his breath to hitch in his chest. He lingered for a moment, unsure of what to do. He wanted to turn her around and kiss her, letting her know that she was all right and safe, but he knew what he should do instead. He forced himself to pull away from her.

He cleared his throat and said, "You're good to go."

She glanced over her shoulder at him. "Thank you."

He smiled at her before taking his leave of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

She placed the chair in front of the door, due to their protocol and headed to the showers to scrub the past from her body.

Stepping into the hot shower, Tenley replayed some of the conversation with Jack in her head. The thing that stuck with her the most was what he had said about her family. No matter what they had tried to do to change the outcome of her family - her past - nothing had. Things always ended up the same.

Once she had scrubbed her skin raw, she shut the shower off and grabbed her towel to dry off and dress. She exited the bathroom and headed for her room. She knew that she'd need sleep. Her mind wasn't slowing down enough to allow her a moment's rest, however.

She entered the infirmary and spotted Flynn sitting on her couch, waiting for her to return. Her eyes landed on him and asked, "You okay?"

He looked up at her and offered a small smile. "Yeah, I'm okay."

She closed the door behind her and dumped her things onto the floor, away from the door. "What can I do for you?"

He studied her movements. She wasn't one to give much away with her expressions or body language, but this time, she was telling him that something was bothering her. "I got the impression that you needed to talk."

She raised an eyebrow, turning her attention back to him. "Really?"

He didn't say anything, but waited for her to feel comfortable enough to talk to him. She sat down with a heavy sigh next to him on the couch. After a moment's silence, he asked, "What's going on, Nine?"

"I'm just thinking about Jack," she admitted.

He nodded slowly, waiting for her to continue. When she didn't elaborate, he asked, "Does this have anything to do with why you took this job?"

"With the team?" she asked. He nodded and she added, "Sort of."

"When you first joined the team," he began to recall. "I had asked you what it was in your life that made you want to disappear."

"I remember," she acknowledged.

He studied her face as he asked, "What's the reason for you wanting to disappear, Nine?"

She smirked slightly. "Something that Jack said about me and my family is what I can't seem to let go." He waited patiently as she continued, "The thing is, Flynn... He told me that they had gone back in time to try and change my history - my family - to keep me from joining the team...and the outcome has stayed the same." She glanced down at her hands that sat in her lap. "He said that no matter how many times they went back in time, my family still hates me."

She turned towards him, holding his concerned gaze. "Do you realize that when I was a kid, I told my parents that I wanted to be a doctor? Do you know what they told me?" She gave a small smirk as she continued, "They told me that I wasn't smart enough, that it was too much work - too much schooling, too expensive. They wanted me to keep my sights smaller."

She sighed heavily, pushing herself to her feet to pace the room for a moment. She continued, "When I was accepted into medical school, they refused to show any support. They told me that I'd fail and if that happened, they wouldn't be there to help me back up onto my feet - I would be alone. When I graduated, none of them came to see me walk. When I got a job at the hospital, none of them believed that I got it through my ability."

She stopped pacing long enough to turn towards him again. "When your brother approached me to go with him to third-world countries to help people, he gave me hope, appreciation, support, and while I hate to admit this, he loved me enough to believe in me. He gave me what I needed the most regarding my choice in career paths and it helped me move forward."

She broke her eye contact with him. "So, when Agent Christopher approached me all those months ago to tell me about this opportunity, I saw it as a chance to disappear and live life without that constant feeling of dread and disappointment. I was doing something that mattered..."

She shrugged. "I guess it just goes to show that no matter how often history is changed, some things will have the same results in the end."

Flynn understood what she was saying. He felt that way when he had gone back in time to save Gabriel's life from his allergic reaction, only to be forced to kill him later on in life. He had been questioning whether or not his mission to save his wife and daughter wouldn't end in the same disastrous result. He couldn't lose them again - it would be too unbearable - and he wasn't convinced he'd survive that heartbreak again.

In the main living area of the bunker, Lucy thought over what Tenley had informed everyone when they returned. Curiosity had gotten a hold of her and she looked up Jack the Ripper.

For the most part, the history was somewhat the same, but the dates of the women he had killed changed, and once Catherine Eddowes had survived and Jack was killed, the senseless killings had ceased with him. She wondered if this Jack was the original Ripper.

There had been too many instances within their travels through time that made her question if those in history were from the present or not. There had been a few people in their travels to stop Rittenhouse and Bloodstone that turned out to be members of those groups. There was no saying anymore who was truly a historical member or a sleeper.

She flipped through her books, researching those they had interacted with over their travels. There were some that completely vanished from history with little explanation as to where they disappeared to. Most were considered 'unsolved mysteries'.

Lucy thought back over the warning regarding a Reynolds. It was the second time she had heard the name. She began flipping through her books' index to find any mention of someone with that name. Even a small blurb would be helpful to her, but she hadn't found anything yet. She was beginning to lose faith that she'd find something on the name.

Sighing heavily, Lucy stood up and left the confines of her room. She headed for the main living area where she could see the battered Wyatt struggling to walk with his cup of coffee. "Need a hand?" she asked.

He glanced over at her, smiling slightly. "I'd appreciate it."  
She took the cup and walked with him towards the couch that sat a few feet away. Once he was sitting down, she handed him his cup back. He thanked her and she sat down next to him. "How are you feeling?"

"I hurt," he admitted.

She nodded, imagining what he was going through. Silence fell upon them, and she eventually asked, "How are you handling ... you know..."

He held her quizzical stare. "What? Jack?" She nodded and he shook his head slightly. "What's there to handle? He's dead."

"Yes, but," she started. "He claimed to be your son-"

"Claimed to be," Wyatt interjected. "There's no proof that he was."

"He had your eyes," she replied.

He smirked. "History can be changed. You know this."

"You don't think that you and Jessica will ever-" Lucy's words fell off.

Wyatt looked away from her. "I don't know. History can change at any time...we've seen it happen."

Lucy could see that he was no longer interested in speaking about it. It was a touchy subject for him, and she knew it. She nodded, standing up and leaving him alone.

Her eyes landed on Agent Christopher. She could see that Denise was ready to head home to her family. She fell into step with her. "I was hoping to catch you before you left."

"Why is that?" Denise asked.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," Lucy admitted. "Something that's been bothering me."

Denise stopped, turning towards her. "Talk fast," she stated. "Michelle is having some friends over for dinner and has already lectured me on the importance of being on time."

Lucy smiled at the thought of Agent Christopher getting a lecture. She shook the image from her mind and asked, "Have you had much luck in your search for anything regarding Bloodstone?"

Agent Christopher's lips tightened. It was clear that she was frustrated by the lack of findings. "No," she admitted. "It hasn't been easy."

Lucy nodded slowly and said, "Try looking for anything regarding someone named 'Reynolds'."

"Reynolds?" Denise repeated. "The one Tenley mentioned?"

The historian nodded. "Poe died calling out for someone by that name and Tenley said that Jack warned her about someone with the same name. I don't think it's a coincidence."

Denise thought about what she was being told and nodded her head slowly. "I'll look into it as soon as I can." She glanced at her watch and said, "I have to go. I'm sorry."

Lucy nodded and watched as Agent Christopher headed out of the bunker.

Denise found herself unable to fully enjoy her wife's dinner party. Her mind continued to drift back to the conversation with Lucy before she left the bunker.

There had been something in Lucy's eyes and tone of voice that had stuck with her. She began to think about what to do, how to handle the situation. She needed to be careful. She wasn't sure what this search would reveal.

Her wife, Michelle, had pulled her aside in the kitchen, using the old, 'help me with dessert' routine, which was code for 'we need to talk'. Once they were in the kitchen, Michelle asked, "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Denise offered an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I've just got a lot on my plate."

"Do you need to go?" Michelle asked, disappointment showing slightly on her face.

Denise sighed. "I can stay, but I need to make a call."

"Are you sure?" she asked. "I don't want you to be here if you have more important things to take care of."

Denise smiled at her. "You've been planning this dinner for months. It's important to you that I am here, and I want to be." She gave Michelle a kiss on the cheek. "I'll make it quick."

Michelle nodded and took her leave of the kitchen, carrying the desserts into the living room where their guests were.

Denise dialed her phone and waited as it rang. The moment it was answered, she said, "I need you to expand your search to include any mention of people with the name Reynolds. That's right. Any and all - we can narrow it down after that. Keep me informed. Thanks." She closed her phone, turned, and walked into the living room.

She smiled as she sat down next to Michelle. "Sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Not a problem at all," the wife of the couple stated. Denise tried to remember her name. Ann, she believed it was. "Michelle was just telling us that you're part of Homeland Security."

Denise forced a smile, nodding. "That's right."

"Is it terribly dangerous?" Ann asked.

Denise's forced smile grew into more of an amused one. "It can be."

Ann turned her eyes over to Michelle. "I don't know how you can be okay with her line of work!"

Michelle placed a gentle hand on Denise's knee, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "Any job can be dangerous," she began. "Besides, it is what makes her happy, so I support her."

"Not many could agree with that outlook," the husband stated.

Ann shook her head. "I certainly couldn't imagine Owen being in that kind of work!"

Denise turned her attention back to Owen. "What do you do?"

The man held her gaze. "I'm an urban planner."

Ann rolled her eyes. "Don't get him started," she sighed. "He'll bore you to tears with his talk on important subdivision zoning..." her words fell off as she made the 'talking' motion with her hand.

Denise smirked at Ann's disdain for her husband's line of work. She asked, "And you work with Michelle at the University then?"

Ann nodded, sipping her tea. "I'm the head of the Art History program."

Denise turned to Michelle, hoping that she would say something. Instead, Michelle just smiled at her.

Ann asked, "Michelle said that you're not too fond of art, is that true?"

Denise gave a half shrug. "I appreciate some of the classics, like Monet, but I'm not really partial to one in particular."

Owen sipped his tea. "Don't tell her that," he said, turning a glance towards Ann. "She'll have you naming all the Renaissance artists and the dates of their most influential paintings."

Ann smacked Owen playfully on the arm. "I am not that bad!"

Denise heard her cell phone ringing in the other room. She excused herself and headed into the kitchen. Opening the phone, she answered, "Hello?"

For the first time in quite a while, she was thankful that her phone had rang during a dinner party. Mason was on the other end. He said, "I wanted to remind you to pick up some food for the bunker. We're starting to run low and people are getting grumpy."

"Do you need me to come back?" she asked, practically begging him to say yes.

"No-no," he replied. "No reason to ruin your dinner with the family. Just reminding you that the rest of us rely on you for sustenance."

"Please tell me you need me to come back," she begged quietly.

Mason chuckled. "Going that well, I take it?"

"Connor," she warned. "Say it."

"Have a good evening, Denise," he said with a laugh.

The line disconnected and Denise was frustrated that he didn't rescue her as she hoped he would. When she turned around, Michelle was standing there, eyebrow raised in question. Denise didn't want to lie to her, she couldn't.

Michelle asked quietly, "What's going on?"

"I love you," Denise began. "But I dislike these people." She held Michelle's gaze for a moment, worried that she had upset her. The moment a smile started to form on her lips, Denise smiled back.

Michelle stated, "I know...Me too."

Denise embraced her.

Back in the bunker, Tenley was finishing straightening up her room after her talk with Flynn. She put her things away from her shower and turned back around. She jumped slightly to see that Flynn had returned.

He eyed her for a moment before saying, "I realized as I left that there was one other thing that I think we should discuss."

She crossed her arms and asked, "What's that?"

"I think we should work on some basic self-defense skills," he stated. He tilted his head to the side as he pointed out, "Since you and I both know how often you find yourself in situations that are-"

She held up a hand, silencing him. "I got it...thanks. You don't need to keep reminding me."

He smirked at her. "What do you say?"

"Sounds like a good plan," she agreed. He stood there by the door, waiting. She furrowed her brow at him. "What, now?"

He shrugged. "Unless you have something better to do?"

"Well, no," she began. "But where would we be doing this?"

He thought about it for a moment. "I think the only place big enough is going to be the main living area."

"Oh," she said, face faltering slightly. "Where everyone can watch...fantastic."

"Would you rather wait until later?" he asked. She shot him a look that told him everything he needed to know. He understood her hesitation. He wouldn't want to have an audience either. He didn't want to embarrass her that way.

She sighed heavily, letting her shoulders fall a little. "I guess it doesn't matter. We can-"

"We'll wait," he interrupted her. "Let's just wait until everyone is asleep."

She gave him a thankful smile. She nodded and said, "Okay. Tonight then." He turned and left her standing in the room alone once more.

When everyone was asleep, Flynn had rearranged the main living area to provide a large space for them to practice. He had found a couple of old mattresses in a storage closet and decided to use those for matting.

The moment he turned around, his eyes landed on her. She stood there awkwardly, watching him position the old mattresses on the floor.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

She smirked. "To be tossed about like a ragdoll? No."

"I'll take it easy," he tried to say.

"Which is why you have mattresses on the floor?" she pointed out.

He held her stare. "Just in case."

Inhaling deeply, she approached him. "So," she started. "Where do we start?"

He motioned for her to stand before him. "Let's see what you know."

"Nothing," she mumbled.

He placed his hands on her shoulders. "What do you know?"

"Nothing," she repeated. "I've never been in a fight-"

"Not even in school?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

She cocked her head as she glared at him. "Yeah, right," she said sarcastically. "I was the biggest bully you've ever met."

He smiled at her. "Okay... Let's just see what you can do." He took his hands off her shoulders and stepped back. "I'm going to reach out for you and I want you to stop me."

She swallowed nervously. Her body instinctively tensed as she watched his movements. The second he reached towards her, she hopped back out of his grasp.

He stopped reaching for her and sighed. "You can't just run away."

"Why not?" she asked. "You wanted to see what I could do - this is what I can do."

He glared at her. "Come back here, and let's try again." His gaze softened as he said, "I'm not going to hurt you." He could see how nervous she was. He wasn't sure she was going to continue, but to his surprise, she stepped back up to him.

He tried again to reach out to grab her. When his hand landed on her shoulder, she tried to back out of his grip. He pulled her towards him, whirling her around to get her secured in his arms.

To his surprise, she rolled her shoulder out from under his grip, pushing his chest hard, causing him to stumble a couple of feet away from her. He hadn't expected that.

He recovered, reaching for her again. She tried to push him again, but he grasped her wrists tightly in each large hand, pulling her forward, causing her to crash into his chest.

She struggled against his hold. She twisted her wrists in his grip, but he had a grip she couldn't shake. Instinctively, she stomped on his foot which allowed his grip to loosen slightly.

She tried to run away, but he grabbed her waist. He hadn't fully recovered his balance from her stomp, causing them both to crash to the floor. She landed on her back, Flynn on top of her.

She felt his weight against her, holding her in place, but she knew he was being careful to not place all of him onto her frame.

The two stared at each other for a moment. She could feel his breath on her face, smell his scent filling her nostrils. She could hear her heart beating in her ears, afraid he could hear it too.

He studied her face as he hovered above her. There was a slight fear behind her eyes, but also a curiosity and trust that he had seen before. He could feel her heart beating against his chest. Her lips were slightly parted as she breathed in and out. Memories of her lips on his came back to him, and he desperately wanted to kiss her, but he knew that that wasn't the goal at the current moment.

Forcing himself to pull away from her, he stood up. Once he was on his feet, he extended his hand down to her, helping her to her feet. The two exchanged awkward glances for a moment before returning to their lessons of defense.

After an hour, he cleared his throat. "You did good just now."

She shifted in her spot. "Really? Thanks..."

He lifted his eyes to hold hers again. "Seriously, Nine. You can defend yourself better than you realize."

She smirked at him. "I think you were going easy on me."

He shrugged. "Maybe a little bit." When she saw his smile, she laughed, feeling a bit more at ease. "You'll be fine."

She watched as he started to pick up the old mattresses from the floor. "Here, let me help you," she offered.

The two finished cleaning up and rearranging the room to turn it back to how it was beforehand. The two collapsed onto the couch in the main room to rest for a moment.

"It's late," she stated, resting her head on his shoulder. Her eyes began to close.

He glanced down at her. "Yeah, it is." He watched her for a moment before closing his eyes briefly. It didn't take him long before he passed out from exhaustion.


	39. Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts

The sounds of the blaring alarms within the bunker had startled both Flynn and Tenley awake. Their eyes locked for a moment, realizing the compromising position they had been in. Tenley was the first to pull away as she stood up, straightening her appearance.

The rest of the bunker, now fully awake, came running into the room. Jiya hopped up to the console and started typing madly away at the keyboard.

"What have you got?" Agent Christopher asked as she rounded the corner, depositing her things onto the table as she approached.

Jiya's eyes darted back and forth as she read the details. "It looks like 1938, Burbank, California."

With furrowed brows, the team glanced over to Lucy, who stood there with a tilted head, thinking over the information. She shook her head. "I don't know...Burbank was another Hollywood movie set location-"

Agent Christopher nodded. "Okay, better get moving." Her eyes spied Wyatt trying to hobble his way passed her. "Where are you going?"

Wyatt's battered eyes darted between Denise and the team. "I'm-"

"Staying put," Agent Christopher told him. "You're in no position to be-"

"This is my job!" he growled. He motioned towards Tenley before asking, "Will you tell-"

Agent Christopher stood at her full height. "Don't put the doctor in the middle of this. You're in no position to be going anywhere. If you'd prefer it to be an order, I can make it so."

Wyatt looked angry with what he was hearing. He glanced at Tenley, silently begging her to say that he was okay, but she never said anything. Tenley knew that he had just returned from their last mission, badly beaten. She couldn't in good conscious allow him to return to work so soon. It'd do more damage than good, and she knew that he knew it too.

Tenley suspected that she'd be heading out with the team. She silently fell in line with the rest of them as they climbed into the Lifeboat. As she sat in the chair, buckling herself in, her eyes caught Flynn's amused smirk. She raised an eyebrow at him, but he remained silent.

The hatch closed and they were off.

 **1938**

The team walked about the streets, searching for clues as to why they were in this time. They couldn't gain access to the production sets due to all of the security that lined the gates.

Because they jumped through time so early in the morning, Lucy suggested that they grab a bite to eat at the local diner to discuss their options.

They entered a fairly busy diner. There were no tables available, so they sat up at the counter, ordering some coffees and a small bite to eat.

Flynn reached over to grab a newspaper nearby. He started flipping through the pages, scanning the details, hoping for something to stick out.

As the team took care of their needs, the door to the diner opened again and a small silence took over the diner as the newcomers crowded the door. The man in the front of the group shouted, "Flynn!"

Flynn and the man next to him turned to see who had been shouting. Flynn sized up the man who was staring in his direction. They started to approach him and Flynn tensed, standing up at his full height.

The men stopped before the man next to Flynn and asked, "Is this where you ran off to?"

The man next to Flynn laughed. "Well, I prefer the scenery," he stated.

Flynn narrowed his eyes at the exchange before turning back to the team, completely confused. Lucy's eyes studied the other man for a moment before a small smile started to grace her lips. Flynn approached her and asked quietly, "Familiar?"

Rufus leaned in and whispered, "This is all a little too Back to the Future for me..."

All Lucy could do was stare and smile at the other Flynn. The group of men still crowded the other. The loud man asked, "What scenery? You want scenery? Go back to the set!"

"I want to see something other than grown men in green tights!" the man laughed. He motioned towards Tenley and Lucy before motioning around him to the rest of the diner. "I prefer looking at the beautiful women that come here!"

Lucy and Tenley exchanged glances. Tenley leaned close and asked, "Is that who I think it is?" Lucy's smile was still wide as she nodded.

Rufus asked, "Want to fill in the rest of us?"

Before they had an opportunity to say anything, the man leaned over the chair Flynn had been sitting in before. "Excuse me, ladies?" When Tenley and Lucy turned their attentions back to the man, he continued, "Forgive me for being so forward, but have either of you considered becoming movie stars?"

Tenley chuckled nervously as she gazed into the man's eyes. Lucy tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Lucy shook her head as she stated, "I don't believe that we have-"

"That's a shame," the man flirted. "You would make for some beautiful ladies in waiting." His eyes darted to Flynn and Rufus and added, "And you lads, you'd make for some very Merry Men!" He laughed a melodic laugh.

Rufus furrowed his brows, trying to place why what this man said sounded familiar. Flynn remained quiet, scowl on his face.

The loud man with the group tapped the man on his shoulder. "Come on, Flynn. We have to get going. You're due on set in ten."

This other Flynn stood up and pulled out some money, tossing it onto the counter. He withdrew a card and extended it to Tenley. "Should you lot change your minds, come to the gates and tell them that I sent you. They'll know what to do."

Tenley took the extended card from him. She held his gaze as he winked at her. He turned and left with the group. Tenley's eyes fell to the card and she smirked, turning to Lucy. "Oh my goodness...seriously?"

"Care to explain?" their Flynn asked.

Lucy motioned for the team to follow her as they left. Once they were outside and away from listening ears, she explained, "That was Errol Flynn."

Rufus's eyes widened. "Seriously? _The_ Errol Flynn?"

Lucy nodded, smile still on her face. Flynn asked, "What's so important about him - I mean, besides being a notorious womanizer?"

Lucy explained, "It used to be believed that he was a Nazi sympathizer."

"Used to be?" Rufus asked.

Lucy nodded. "It's never really been proven," she stated. "A lot of people close to him have come forward to state that the rumors were true, but there's not a lot of evidence to support the claims. There have been a lot of movies to base characters off of this claim."

Tenley nodded as she stated, "Like Timothy Dalton in The Rocketeer." Rufus's head snapped to glance at the doctor. He seemed stunned by what she said. She met his wide-eyed expression and explained, "I used to love that movie as a kid."

Rufus opened his mouth to retort something, but Lucy cut him off. She looked at Flynn. "I think for this mission, we should probably call you Garcia." Flynn's scowl grew as his jaw tightened in disapproval. She added quickly, "Just so it doesn't become confusing."  
Rufus held back a laugh at the suggestion. Tenley studied his face, wondering what he was about to say. To their surprise, he just shook his head, understanding the reasons.

"So," Tenley began, drawing out the word. "What do we do now?"

Lucy took the card from Tenley's grasp and studied it. "I guess we become movie stars."

It didn't take the team long to make the trek to the gates of the production set. When they arrived, they handed the card off, just as instructed and were escorted inside.

They were guided to a small house and were instructed to wait. As they sat alone, Rufus asked, "Are you sure this is why we're here?"

Lucy shrugged. "I don't know, but it makes sense."

The door to the room opened and Errol Flynn walked inside, followed by two other men. Once Flynn's eyes landed on the team, a wide smile erupted on his face. "You decided to come after all!" He turned to the men with him. "I believe that we can have the ladies as ladies in waiting and the men as some of the Merry Men."

The two men exchanged glances before turning back to the team. They were sizing them up, questioning Flynn's requests. Before they were able to interject, a female's voice could be heard outside the room, growing closer. The door opened and the woman entered. "Errol, there you are. I was-" she halted her words as she saw the team sitting in the room. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were in a meeting."

Errol waved her apology aside before motioning her towards him. "Allow me to introduce you to the most beautiful and wonderful woman I've ever had the pleasure of knowing... Miss Olivia de Havilland." He turned his attention back to his costar. "Livvie, what do you think about these ladies being part of your ladies in waiting?"

Olivia took Tenley and Lucy in. "If you think that's what is best for the scene..."

"I think that they will help make the extras more pleasing to the eye," he replied with a smirk. His eyes landing on Tenley.

Olivia nodded slowly. "I agree," she forced herself to say. Lucy could see a small part of disappointment behind Errol's request. Olivia turned her gaze to the men. "And the gentlemen?"

"Merry Men," he announced.

Olivia smiled wide as she took in Rufus and Garcia. "I think that's a wonderful idea..." her eyes lowered to Garcia's legs before raising up to meet his gaze. She cleared her throat. "I look forward to working with all of you."

Tenley glanced over to Lucy. She had been growing more and more uncomfortable as she stayed within Errol's presence. She could feel his eyes were still lingering on her.

Another voice shouted down the hall before another man appeared in their room. "Flynn! We've been looking for you all over the place," the man stated. "We're ready for you on set."

Errol turned to the team, bowing dramatically. "Duty calls. I look forward to working with all of you."

Olivia turned to the women. "Come with me," she stated with a smile. "Let's get you into wardrobe." She turned to the men and added, "One of these men will show you where to go."

Olivia ushered the girls out of the room, leaving Rufus and Garcia with the two men Errol Flynn had brought with him. Garcia studied the men, wondering if they were sleepers or not, based on how they were eyeing the two of them.

"This way," one of the men said, extending his hand out to lead the way.

Rufus and Garcia exchanged glances, clearly thinking the same thing about the two. They followed the man as he navigated them down the hallway, fully aware the second man was taking up the rear.

They were escorted outside and towards another building. Garcia tensed as they neared it. He wasn't convinced these men were the sleepers, but something seemed off about them. He just couldn't shake the feeling.

The group entered the second building which housed the men's costumes. The man in the front stated, "You'll need to try on the clothes and see what fits you. We might need to make some adjustments if it doesn't fit properly."

Rufus asked, "Does he do this often?" When the men looked at him confused, he clarified, "Mr. Flynn...does he hire random people often for your films?" The two men shifted in their spots, almost afraid of saying the truth. Rufus whispered, "I'm not going to tell him if that's what you're worried about."

"He's been doing it more recently," the man admitted. "It's causing problems with the director and crew."

"Aside from us," Garcia began. "Has he offered any roles to anyone else lately?"

The men thought for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, but they never showed up."

"Who did he offer the roles to?" Garcia questioned.

"Some girls," the second man admitted.

Rufus's face contorted by the use of the word. "Girls?"

"You know how he is," the man replied. "He's even admitted it."

"Admitted what?" Rufus pushed, unsure if he was following.

The two men exchanged glances before the second one continued, "He likes his whiskey old and his women young."

The first man sighed. "Get into a costume that fits, whatever it is, and we'll get you on set as soon as we can."

Once the two men left, Rufus turned back to Garcia. "Please tell me that didn't mean what I think it meant..."

Garcia glared at him. "Of course it means what you think."

Rufus shuddered as he thought about it. He pushed through different costumes in search of something he could fit into.

Olivia pulled a couple of costumes off the racks for the women. She laid them onto the couch and said, "I think these should fit you both well."

"You've worked with Mr. Flynn a few times now, haven't you?" Lucy asked, trying to tread carefully with her questioning.

Olivia nodded. "He's an amazing actor," she stated. "He's one of the best that I've had the privilege of working with in years."

Tenley avoided eye contact with Olivia for fear of what she might say regarding Errol Flynn's glances in her direction. She took the costume behind a privacy screen with her and began to change.

Lucy asked, "Does he always hire people off the streets to star in his productions?"

Olivia chuckled softly to herself before nodding. "He has a knack of spotting talent. If they manage to snag a role - even as background actors - he makes a small bonus."

Lucy studied the beautiful woman before her. "It must be difficult to watch a man you love ogle with so many others."

Olivia's eyes darted up to meet with Lucy's before adverting her gaze. "There is an attraction, I admit, but he's not the one for me in the end."

Tenley finished dressing in her costume of pink chiffon and walked around the screen. Lucy took her place behind the screen to change. Tenley fussed with the costume, feeling uncomfortable.

Olivia stood up and padded across the room. "Here, allow me," she offered. "These costumes are always a bit tricky to get to settle comfortably."

Tenley tensed as Olivia set to work on fixing the gown. The doctor watched as Olivia's blue eyes landed on the scar on her chest. "Oh dear," Olivia muttered. "That doesn't look pleasant."

Tenley glanced down to her scar before admitting, "It's uglier than it looks, I assure you."

"You sound like you have more than that one," the actress pointed out. When Tenley offered a small smile as an answer, Olivia tsked at her. "It's a shame to carry the scars brought on by others. I'm sorry."

Tenley's eyes narrowed briefly at the woman before her. She nodded in response, thankful when Lucy reemerged from the privacy screen. Lucy was dressed in a purple costume and Olivia gracefully moved over to help her with the resettling of the gown.

When they were finished, Olivia motioned for them to follow her to the set. As they walked, a stagehand approached them. "There you are," the man sighed. "They've been waiting for you."

"Well, I'm here now," Olivia replied sweetly. She turned to the women following her. "I'm not sure where they're going to want you, so wait here for further instructions."

The two watched as Olivia walked away from them to join a smiling Errol Flynn on set. Tenley turned to Lucy and whispered, "Why do I get the feeling that there's more going on between those two?"

"I'm sure there was," Lucy whispered back.

"Another one of those, 'there's not enough evidence' things?" Tenley questioned. Lucy nodded. The doctor sighed. "I feel like I'm constantly under his gaze...I don't like it."

"He likes his women," Lucy replied with a shrug. "He's certainly charming."

Tenley smirked. "If you're into all that."

Lucy glanced out of the corner of her eye at Tenley. "You don't like charming?"

Tenley crossed her arms before turning to Lucy. "Charming, yes. Creepy and skeevy, no." Lucy laughed.

"You two are a sight for sore eyes," a familiar voice spoke from behind them. When they turned to see who had joined them, they smiled at Rufus and Garcia, both of whom were dressed in Merry Men costumes.

Tenley's mouth fell open slightly as she took Garcia in. She blinked a couple of times as her dark eyes scanned him from foot to head. She noticed that the tights enhanced his muscular legs. When her eyes met his gaze, he gave her a silent lecture about his appearance, begging her to keep quiet about it. She closed her mouth but held his gaze.

Rufus muttered, "Let's just keep this between us, okay? I don't want Wyatt to have more ammunition to poke fun of me."

"I don't know," Lucy started. "They say that laughter is the best medicine." She turned towards Tenley and added, "Isn't that right?"

Tenley chuckled. "Well, just hope that you can change before we go home...because if not...there's no stopping anyone from poking fun at you."

Rufus hung his head slightly. "I hate history."

"Merry Men!" a loud voice boomed. "You're wanted on set! That's _all_ Merry Men!"

Lucy turned to the two men. "Looks like you're up. Have fun!"

The men walked away from the amused women to gather on set as ordered. Rufus mumbled, "Can we please figure out what we're doing here and go home?"

Garcia glanced out of the corner of his eye towards Rufus. He couldn't disagree. He wasn't exactly thrilled to be walking about in green tights either.

The director ordered the extras to stand off towards the back of the set, giving them instructions on what to do during the scene. As Rufus and Garcia stood off in the distance, something caught Garcia's eye. Standing on the very edge of the set, away from the camera's vision was a man who clearly didn't belong in this time. Garcia stared at him, sizing him up.

He wasn't a Bloodstone man from what Garcia could tell, but more like a Rittenhouse man. The way he dressed told Garcia as much. The sleeper glanced over and met Garcia's intense gaze. The man's eyes widened in an almost panicked manner before he ran off. Garcia pushed his way across the set, slipping past the director just in time.

Rufus tried to follow Garcia, but the director shouted, "Places!" Rufus groaned as he shifted uncomfortably on his marker. "Action!"

Garcia ran after the sleeper. The sleeper ran into a building, slamming the door behind him. Garcia shouldered the door causing it to slam against the wall as he continued his pursuit. As he neared the end of the hallway, he felt the force of a fake sword slamming into his chest.

Garcia stumbled backwards, quickly recovering as he dodged the next attack with ease. The sleeper swung the sword madly in the air as he tried to hit Garcia.

Garcia grabbed a floor lamp and used it to block the next attack. He returned the attacks against the sleeper. When the sleeper opened his body to an attack, Garcia didn't hesitate. He slammed the base of the floor lamp into the sleeper's stomach before lifting it quickly into the man's face.

The moment the sleeper collapsed onto the floor with a broken and bleeding nose, he slammed his foot against the sleeper's neck, pinning him to the floor.

Garcia held the base of the floor lamp over the man's face as he asked in a breathless voice, "Now, how about you and I talk?"

"Where's Flynn?" Tenley asked, scanning the group of extras as they reset the shot.

Lucy glanced over through the crowd. "I thought he was on set?"

Tenley's brows furrowed. "I did too, but I don't see him."

"There's Rufus," Lucy pointed out.

Tenley's mind started to race at the prospect that something horrible had happened to Flynn. Her heart was pounding hard against her chest. She took a step forward to start looking for him when a voice called out behind her.

"You are both perfect ladies in waiting!" the voice rang out. When the two glanced over their shoulders, they watched as Errol Flynn approached them with a wickedly smooth smile on his face. He glanced between the two of them and admitted, "If I didn't know better, I'd think you belonged in that time."

Lucy smiled at him. "Miss de Havilland has good taste in costumes."

"Livvie has an eye for that sort of thing," Errol Flynn remarked. "She has even worked on my wardrobe." He laughed, which Tenley felt was faked. He glanced over to Tenley and winked.

"Are you making these poor girls nervous, Errol?" another voice spoke behind them. The man who approached them was a little shorter than Errol Flynn, but there was something about the way he carried himself that exuded more of a natural confidence. He dressed well, hair combed neatly to the side, and he had a strong masculine manner to the way he moved.

Tenley blinked at the man. She felt like she knew who he was, but couldn't put her finger on who he was.

Errol laughed before saying, "I didn't know you were coming by for a visit, Cary!"

Lucy's face beamed as she stared at the man before them. Tenley noticed that Errol's body language didn't match the tone of his voice. She realized that Errol Flynn was quite the actor for making it seem that he liked this man when it was clear that he didn't.

"I was in the neighborhood," Cary replied simply.

"Ladies," Errol said, turning to the women. "Allow me the pleasure of introducing you to the one and only, Cary Grant."

Tenley's mouth fell agape slightly. She was in awe of the man before her. He had been one of the few Hollywood stars of his generation that she admired. She smiled, nodding to him in gesture of a greeting. When she tore her eyes away from Cary Grant, she spotted a somewhat displeased Errol Flynn adverting his gaze from her.

Lucy smiled and shook his hand. "Pleasure to meet you!"

Cary smiled back, shaking her extended hand. "Pleasure is all mine." He turned to Errol. "Livvie mentioned you were struggling with some of the scenes coming up."

Errol laughed another seemingly fake laugh. "It's not quite like that," he stated. "The director and I haven't been seeing eye to eye on how to approach the scene where I fight the sheriff."

"Why don't you tell me all about it," Cary offered. "I'm sure we can find some middle ground with the man."

Errol nodded, sly smile crossing his lips. He turned to the women, bowing slightly. "Ladies, if you'll excuse us," he said.

Tenley and Lucy watched as the two men walked away from them. Lucy muttered, "Something isn't right."

"You think?" Tenley whispered back.

Lucy turned back to the doctor. "Those two don't like each other much."

"I picked up on that," Tenley admitted. "So, if they don't like each other, why is he here?"

Lucy thought for a moment. When an idea came to her, her face lit up. She stated, "There's some evidence to support the claim that Cary Grant was a spy for the British, helping identify Nazi sympathizers."

"Are you saying he's here because he knows about Errol?" Tenley questioned quietly.

"If that is why he's here," Lucy began. "I'm curious as to how he knows... something isn't adding up."

Tenley sighed, almost defeated. She turned around and scanned the area once more. "I'm concerned about our Flynn... where is he?"


	40. Steel And Traps

Garcia Flynn had managed to change out of his Merry Men costume and into the suit of the sleeper he had bound to a chair. He felt more at ease and comfortable in his new clothing than before. He sat across the bound sleeper. "Why are you here?" The sleeper smirked at him, refusing to speak. Garcia sighed, his lips forming a thin line. He was running out of patience. "Listen," he began. "I don't want to have to do this the hard way. I'd rather we find some middle ground here."

The sleeper eyed Garcia for a moment. "Why should I? You'll kill me anyways."

"I won't unless you force my hand," Garcia replied honestly. "I'd rather we exchange information and go home."

The sleeper glared at Garcia as though he didn't believe anything he was hearing. "How long do you think you can keep me in here before someone finds us?"

"I doubt anyone is looking for any of us," Garcia admitted. "It's not like we're supposed to be here anyways... start talking."

The sleeper held Garcia's gaze, unwavering. He wasn't scared and that bothered Flynn.

Garcia asked, "What are you doing here? Who is Rittenhouse after here?"

"What makes you think we're here for some _one_?" the man questioned.

"Because every time we've seen you or your allies-" Garcia was interrupted.

The sleeper laughed. "You think Bloodstone is our ally? Where have you been?"

"What are you talking about?" Garcia asked. "You were the ones who woke them up from their opium addiction-"

The sleeper shook his head again. "That was a mistake. A costly one at that."

"So," Garcia began. "What are they to you now?"

"A necessary evil," the man stated. Garcia waited for the man to explain. The man sighed, realizing that he had to keep talking. "Bloodstone is a distraction for those who oppose Rittenhouse. The more they interfere with your plans, the more we can interfere with theirs."

"Meaning what?" Garcia asked. So far, nothing the sleeper was saying made much sense.

The sleeper chuckled, knowing he was confusing Garcia more than anything. He was enjoying the riddles. "Haven't you noticed people from history disappearing? Or the fact that we're always one step before you every turn?"

Garcia leaned forward, asking, "Who is in charge of Bloodstone?"

The sleeper inhaled. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me," he stated.

The sleeper saw the sincerity behind Garcia's intense eyes. He swallowed nervously, before saying, "I don't know exactly...but I know that Carol Preston started it."

"Why would she do such a thing?" Garcia questioned. "She's Rittenhouse royalty."

"Yes," the sleeper admitted. "She is, but she wants something more than what they can offer-"

"What is that?" Garcia pushed. He hoped to get more from this man.

"I don't know," the sleeper said honestly. "She's not the one calling the shots any more."

Garcia's eyes narrowed again. "You just said that she started Bloodstone-"

"Yes, but she's not _there_ to run things," the sleeper reminded him. "She's got someone who's supposed to be running things in her stead."

"And is that who has you scared?" Garcia asked.

The sleeper nodded once. "He seems to know everything - everyone. He's the one who is causing all the problems for you."

"Why?" Garcia asked. "What's the purpose?"

"To distract you from the bigger picture," the sleeper stated.

Garcia stood up to his full height. "What's the bigger picture?"

The sleeper sighed heavily before shaking his head. Garcia pushed, "You said 'he'...who is he?"

The sleeper smirked, shaking his head again. "It doesn't matter," he stated. "He knows that you're interrogating me. I'll never see the light of day once you and I are finished here."

"Then tell me everything you know," Garcia replied. "That way I can help you."

"Heed the words of Edgar and Jack," the sleeper stated.

Before Garcia could retort, the sleeper's face contorted in pain. He started to seize in the chair he was bound to. Garcia tried to help the man, but he realized that it was too late. The sleeper wasn't having a seizure, but had been poisoned and it had been a ticking time bomb. It wouldn't have mattered if he had let the man go.

Garcia was frustrated that whoever was behind Bloodstone, truly was prepared for every situation and this interaction with this sleeper proved to him that they weren't safe. He needed to find out who was behind all of this and fast before anyone from his team got caught up in the crossfire.

"Ladies in waiting!" the director shouted. "I need all of you on set please!"

Tenley and Lucy were ushered to a section on set and given instructions as to what was expected from them during the battle between the sheriff and 'Robin Hood'.

The actors approached the set, but they seemed to be arguing with each other. Errol Flynn growled, "Come now, Melville! Even Basil wasn't as stubborn as you!"

"Stubborn? Me?" Melville retorted. "You're the one who is stubborn, old friend!"

Errol's eyes flashed red with anger. "Then let's fight it out on the set then," he spat. "It will make cinema history!"

"Very well," Melville sighed. "You've certainly got a temper today, Errol."

Tenley and Lucy watched as Melville headed off in a different direction to get to his marker. Errol sighed, running a hand through his hair before catching their worried gazes. He smiled charmingly before saying, "I am terribly sorry that you had to witness such exchange of words." He approached them, placing his hands on their shoulders before continuing, "I fear that some times, I am the only one to see reason. He'll get what's coming to him, I promise you that." Tenley furrowed her brow at his words, concerned. He noticed her face and placed a hand on her cheek as he added, "Fear not, my lady. It will be over soon." He removed his hand from her face and left for his marker.

Tenley glanced over to Lucy. "Something's not right."

Lucy nodded. "I agree..." her words drifted off as she spotted Cary Grant behind the director, watching anxiously. "Maybe his behavior has something to do with Cary Grant still being here."

Tenley looked over and shrugged. "Maybe..." She wasn't convinced.

The director shouted, "Places! And...action!"

Tenley and Lucy were instructed to behave scared and to cower in the corner of the room, which they did as Errol Flynn and Melville Cooper exchanged their scripted words and their sword fight began.

Melville stumbled through his lines and Errol grew angrier. They reset the scene and began again. By the fourth take, Errol's anger was no longer hidden from anyone.

The scene was reset once again and Melville reviewed his script briefly before returning to his spot. Action was called and the scene began once more.

Tenley watched with anticipated horror as Errol jabbed his sword into Melville's side. As Melville shouted out in pain and fell down the prop staircase they were fighting on, real screams filled the air.

People began running around in a panic. Tenley rushed forward as Errol bent down beside Melville. Tenley heard Melville ask, "Was I overshadowing you, Errol?"

"I didn't know it was a real sword, Melville," Errol replied.

Tenley's eyes lifted to meet Errol's. She knew he was lying. Errol could tell that she could see through his words. He held her gaze and ordered, "Find a doctor, quickly."

Without thinking, Tenley replied, "I am-" She stopped for a moment, quickly recovering to add, "A-a nurse. I should probably stay here to help him until the doctor comes."

"I think that's wise," Cary Grant spoke calmly beside her. She hadn't realized that he had joined in the fray. He turned towards Errol and another man, ordering, "Find a doctor, quickly please!"

Errol held Grant's eyes before nodding. "Quite right. I'll be back soon, Melville. Just hold on until then."

Lucy and Rufus managed to push their way through the dispersing crowd. Lucy asked, "What happened?"

"Flynn stabbed the sheriff," Tenley replied, working on Melville's wound. "We're going to need a doctor!"

Lucy tilted her head at Tenley, but realized that she hadn't admitted her true talents and nodded. She tugged on Rufus's arm. "We'll be back."

As Rufus followed Lucy, Tenley heard him state, "At least he didn't shoot the deputy." Tenley rolled her eyes.

The moment everyone had left Cary Grant and Tenley alone with Melville, Tenley continued to work on the wound that Errol had inflicted on the actor. Cary asked, "How bad is it?"

Tenley sighed as she concentrated. "It's not good, but he'll live."

"That's better news than we could have hoped for," Cary replied. He looked down at Melville. "What happened, Mel?"

Melville hissed through the pain, "He was angry with me...said that I was compromising his career."

"Doing what?" Cary questioned.

Melville's eyes darted over to Tenley. She noticed that he didn't want to speak with her there. Cary looked over at Tenley before saying, "I think I know what you're trying to say, Mel. Just rest. Help is coming soon."

Tenley continued to work on the stab wound. The moment that she had finished bandaging the wound, the doctor arrived. He seemed stunned to see that Tenley had done all the work. The doctor looked at her and stated, "I've never seen work like this before, but I must say, I need to learn what you know."

Tenley wanted to laugh. Instead, she replied, "It's just tricks I've learned here and there."

"Maybe there, but certainly not here," the old doctor replied. "I'm quite impressed by your skills. Are you in the market for a job?"

Tenley smirked. "Unfortunately, no, but thank you anyways."

The doctor extended his hand, which Tenley shook. He handed her a business card immediately after. "In case you should change your mind."

She took it, lifting it up in thanks and watched the doctor walk away with Melville on a stretcher. Tenley scanned the area and noticed that Errol hadn't returned. Scanning the set, she noticed that even Lucy and Rufus hadn't returned. Panic started to creep up as the overwhelming feeling of being alone started to set in.

"Are you all right?" the familiar voice of Cary Grant asked behind her.

She turned, somewhat rattled. She cleared her throat. "Yeah, sorry...I'm just... I..."

"How long have you been a doctor?" he asked.

She furrowed her brow at him. "I'm not-"

"You're not a nurse," he said, finishing her sentence. "No nurse I have ever met works the way that you do." He saw the panic behind her eyes and added, "Your secret is safe with me, don't worry."

She released a heavy sigh of relief. "Thank you," she said softly.

He nodded and asked, "Why would someone like you be on a movie set, playing a lowly background character?"

She studied his face before saying, "My friends wanted to come and I was sort of dragged along for the ride."

His lips twitched in amusement by her answer. "Where are your friends?"

She shook her head, showing her nerves. "I don't know. I'm worried that something might have happened to them."

This admittance caused Cary to furrow his brow at her in concern. "Why do you say that?"

She blinked at the question, almost afraid that she had slipped up and said something she shouldn't have. She suddenly wished that Lucy was next to her to help dig her out of the hole she was about to bury herself in. "I-I...I don't...know?"

Cary tilted his head at her, clearly not buying her aloofness. He took another step forward and asked, "What are you so afraid of? Me?"

She shook her head. "No," she admitted. "Not you."

"I've been watching you since we met earlier," he stated. "You seem on edge whenever Flynn is around. Has he done something to you?"

She shook her head. "No, but..." her voice trailed.

"But?" he asked, waiting for her to continue.

Tenley sighed, shaking her head slightly. "I don't trust him. I think he's up to something." She noticed that he was still waiting for her to continue, so she added, "I can't help but wonder if his attack against Melville was intentional."

"Why would he do such a thing?" Cary asked, standing before her. The look on his face suggested that he had also come to a similar conclusion.

She whispered, "I wonder if Melville found out about something that might destroy his credibility or something..."

Cary studied her face. "What do you know?"

Her eyes widened, realizing that she had said too much already. "I-I..."

"It's okay," he reassured her. "I won't let anything happen to you."

For the first time since their arrival to this time, Tenley felt safe in Cary Grant's presence. She felt like he would live up to his words and protect her. She licked her lips before saying, "I think he might be a spy."

Cary nodded slowly. "I'll let you in on a very important secret," he said. He leaned in close to her and whispered, "That's why I'm here."

She swallowed hard as she held his gaze. "Because you're..."

"A Nazi hunter," he whispered. "I've been on Flynn's trail for years. I just don't have enough evidence to do anything about it yet."

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked. It confused her as to why he would reveal himself to her and compromise his cover.

He held her gaze. "Because I believe that you are here for the same reason."

"So," she started to change the topic. "What are you going to do?"

"Patience is a virtue," Cary stated. "One that Errol lacks." He motioned for her to follow him and she did. They started to walk off the empty set.

Tenley asked again, "What are you going to do?"

"First thing's first," he started. "We find your friends and make sure that you're all safe."

"And then?" she pushed.

He glanced over his right shoulder at her. "We wait and see what his next move will be."

The two walked closely next to each other as they approached the end of the set. They stepped outside into the setting sunlight. Tenley scanned the yard of the production lot. She thought she spotted Lucy entering a building across the way. She pointed. "I saw someone go in there," she stated.

"Your friend?" he asked. She shrugged. She hadn't gotten a good look to say one way or another. He nodded, understanding her silence. He tilted his head as he said, "Let's go find out."

They crossed the lot and reached the door to the building. He opened the door carefully, checking around it before entering with Tenley close behind him.

Cary navigated down the darkened hallways, much like Garcia Flynn did when she had been paired off with him in past missions. She realized that Cary Grant was more capable than she thought.

Suddenly, he stopped causing Tenley to bump into him. He brought his finger to his lips, ordering her to stay silent. She nodded, but her heart was racing.

He listened for a moment before peeking around the corner. He motioned for her to follow him as they continued forward. When they stopped again, they could make out faint voices in the room they approached.

They exchanged glances as they tried to listen in on the conversation. Tenley hoped that she would recognize the voice speaking, but it was too mumbled for her. She looked to Cary to give her something to go off of.

He leaned in to her, whispering into her ear, "Follow my lead, okay?" When he pulled away, he saw the panic behind her eyes. He whispered into her ear again, "I won't let anything happen to you."

She forced herself to nod. She believed his words and knew that he wouldn't let anything happen to her, but that didn't mean that something wouldn't happen to her friends - to _her_ Flynn.

Cary opened the door and walked through with Tenley following behind. Once they entered the room, Tenley's eyes widened in shock. Lucy and Rufus were sitting back to back in their chairs, tied together. Errol Flynn stood straight upon their entrance. He had a sword pointed at Rufus's neck.

Errol glanced over to the two. "Ah, Cary," he announced. "I was wondering when I'd see you again."  
"I was still with Melville," he admitted. "What's going on here?"

Errol turned his gaze towards Tenley. "Perhaps you should ask your lovely little friend there."  
Cary glanced over at Tenley briefly. He returned his gaze to Errol. "Why are these people tied up, Errol? What are you doing?"

"Let's forego the charades, shall we, Cary?" Errol spat. "You and I both know why you're still here."

Cary didn't even blink. "I don't know what you're talking about."  
Errol smirked. "Very well, let's keep pretending," he remarked. He removed the sword from Rufus's throat. He twirled in around in his hand expertly.

Tenley tensed as she watched his skill with the sword. She knew that he could kill them all with the sword if he wanted to, and there'd be no way to stop him. They were all unarmed as far as she knew.

She turned her gaze quickly to Rufus and Lucy. She still hadn't seen Garcia in a while - not since their costume change on set. She feared for his safety. Neither one of them had taken their eyes off of Errol Flynn to make eye contact with her.

Errol asked, "How is Melville doing, by the way?" He turned his gaze to Tenley. His eyes were filled with anger still. She grew rigid.

"He'll live," Cary replied.

Errol shook his head. "It's a shame...that's not the right answer."

"I thought you'd be pleased," Cary stated. "It keeps you from having to be investigated for potential murder."

Errol laughed boisterously. "Murder?! My dear friend," he started. "That's a stretch, even for you."

"What else would you call it?" Cary asked.

"An unfortunate workplace hazard," he stated. "Have you seen how realistic these swords are?" He could see the panic in Tenley's eyes. He added, "Is this a real sword or a prop? No one knows for certain." He pulled it back, ready to strike. "Let's find out!" He thrust the sword into Rufus's chest.

Shouts of fear escaped from Lucy and Tenley. Rufus's eyes were squeezed shut. After a second of realizing that there was no pain, Rufus slowly opened one eye to look. When he saw no blood, he opened both eyes and glanced down.

Errol lifted the sword. "It's a prop..." he said, staring at Rufus. "You're fortunate that I _can_ tell the difference."

"So you knew that the one you had against Melville was a real sword?" Tenley asked.

Errol smirked as he turned to her. "Of course I knew!" He tossed the fake sword aside, picking up another. "This one...this one is real." He turned back towards Rufus again. "Shall I demonstrate again?"

Tenley's voice caught in her throat. "W-wait..."

Errol turned his gaze back to her. "Whatever for, my dear lady?"

"What would Livvie say to all of this?" she asked. "She loves you..."

He laughed. " _All_ women love me," he claimed. "Except you...Why is that?"

Tenley swallowed nervously before admitting, "Because I already love someone named Flynn and I can only handle one of you at a time."

Rufus's eyes just about bugged out of their sockets at her admittance. He muttered over his shoulder, "Did you know about this?" Lucy hummed a reply, smile written on her face like a proud mother hen. Rufus scoffed. "How am I the last to know? Does Wyatt know?"

Cary Grant asked, "What are you going to do now, Flynn? What's your plan?"

"I don't need a plan," Errol stated. "See, it's quite simple, Cary. I'm going to tie the both of you up," he said, pointing his sword at Tenley and Cary. "Then I'm going to wait here until they come to retrieve the lot of you."

"Who's they?" Cary asked. "Who will come for all of us?"

"A darling red head," he stated. "Named Emma."

The team released short gasps at the mention of Emma. They hadn't considered that she was potentially behind whatever brought them to this time.

Errol smirked. "Judging by your reactions, you are familiar with her."

Cary glanced over to Tenley. "Who's he talking about?"

"A spy," Tenley remarked quickly. "A dangerous one at that."

Cary nodded slowly before turning his gaze back to Errol Flynn. "What are you going to do afterwards? Continue making movies and providing information to the Nazis?"

Errol released another laugh. "You don't know what you're talking about, my dear friend."

"I have proof," Cary replied confidently.

Errol's head snapped up at the revelation. "Liar."

Cary stood firm as he shook his head. "I'm not."

"Then you leave me no choice," Errol remarked. "I'll have to kill you, like I did with Melville."

"He's still alive-" Tenley began.

Errol shouted at her, "Not when I'm done here!"

Tenley jumped slightly at his outburst. She was becoming increasingly afraid the longer Errol stewed in his anger. Cary started to move, but stopped the moment Errol lifted his sword in Tenley's direction. "I wouldn't move if I were you, Cary. I don't think you'd like to have an innocent woman's blood on your hands."

"I've known you for a while, Errol," Cary tried to say. "This isn't the road you want to go down."

Errol smirked, tilting his head slightly. "Like you," he started. "I've known about you for a while, too. You think I don't know what you are?"

"And what am I?" Cary asked.

"You're a spy," Errol commented. "And a poor one at that."

Cary shook his head. "It's a shame you think that way."

"You failed to stop me," Errol said. "Now, both of you, have a seat."  
Tenley's eyes darted from Errol's sword that was pointed at her to Cary Grant. She wasn't sure what she should do. She was still waiting for his direction. He glanced up to meet her scared eyes.

Errol motioned with his sword. "Sit." Cary sat down and Errol started to tie him up. He paused as he turned back to Tenley.

Tenley slowly moved towards a nearby chair. Errol Flynn reached for her. Memories of learning basic self-defense with Garcia kicked in. She rolled her shoulder out from his grip and kicked him hard in the left kneecap before bringing her knee up to meet his chin. He knelt on the ground.

The attack didn't knock him out, but it had angered him. He shouted in pain, slashing wildly in the air with his sword. Tenley had tried to back away to avoid being struck and fell over the chair she had been ordered to sit in.

She tumbled to the floor and watched as an irate Errol Flynn bounced back up to his feet. He started towards her. She kicked the chair she had fallen over at him. He stumbled over it, but had regained his balance.

The moment she kicked the chair, she scrambled to her feet before she took off running down the hallway of the building they were in. She knew that Errol Flynn would be hot on her trail.

She glanced over her left shoulder as she neared a corner. Errol hadn't turned the corner of the hallway yet. She started to think that she had outrun him.

A hand darted out from around the corner, clasping over her mouth while another hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a different room. Tenley flailed about, trying to get out of the grip of whoever was holding onto her. The grip tightened, pulling her into the solid frame. A stern husky voice whispered, "Stop! It's me."

Her heart skipped a beat as she stopped struggling. The grip loosened around her and she whirled around, flinging her arms around Garica's neck, pulling him tighter to her.

He pulled her away and looked into her scared eyes. He noticed the tears falling down her cheeks. He wiped them away and she seemed stunned at the realization that she had started crying. He motioned for her to stay silent as he peered around the corner.

Garcia could see Errol Flynn slowly navigating through the darkened hallway, searching for Tenley. He seemed amused in a way. He called out, "Come out, come out wherever you are...I won't hurt you... _much_."

Garcia glanced over his shoulder at Tenley. He mouthed, "Stay here." She watched as Garcia entered the hallway to confront Flynn. Tenley pushed her back against the wall, afraid that she'd give herself away.

Errol Flynn glanced up to see Garcia standing at the end of the hallway. He stood up to his full height. "Come to challenge me?"

Garcia held Errol's gaze, unwavering at the man's taunts. Errol charged him, swinging the sword towards Garcia's face. Garcia sighed heavily as he watched the famed actor rushing towards him. He removed the pistol that the sleeper had from the holster under his jacket, aimed and fired a single round at Errol Flynn.

The bullet struck the actor in the chest, bringing him to the ground with ease. Errol Flynn laid on the ground, gasping for air as he clutched the wound. Garcia's eyes lifted to see Rufus, Lucy, and Cary Grant standing at the opposite end of the hallway.

Rufus blinked at Errol Flynn before looking up to Garcia. "You totally Indiana Jones-ed him."

Garcia pursed his lips to the side at the remark before turning around to see Tenley slowly approaching him. When she reached him, she wrapped her arms around his, almost in need of reassurance and comfort.

Cary Grant knelt down to check Errol's status. He pushed the sword out of the man's hand. He looked up at Tenley. "Are you all right?"

She nodded. "Is he...?"

"He's not going to make it," Cary stated. He sighed as he stood up. "I should be holding you until the police show up, but..." He glanced back down at Errol. "Seeing as he's a Nazi sympathizer, I think I'll make an exception, just this once."

"How are you going to prove it?" Lucy asked.

Cary smiled at her. "I have evidence," he replied. "Between Melville's statement as well as a couple of others-"

A new voice spoke at the end of the hall, "Don't forget me, darling."

Everyone glanced up to see Olivia de Havilland walking towards them, smile on her face. Cary smiled at her. "I'd never be able to do that, Livvie."

The team looked at her confused. Lucy started, "You...you're..."

Olivia knew the question before it could be properly formed. "Why do you think that I starred in so many movies with him?"

Cary smirked. "She was the perfect weapon and weakness for him."

"He told me quite a few things," Livvie admitted. "It just wasn't enough to be able to arrest him."

"So," Rufus started. "You're a spy too?"

Olivia laughed politely. "Not really," she admitted. "Just a really good actress."  
Cary Grant looked at the team before saying, "You should get out of here while you still have the chance."

The group started to disperse, but Tenley pulled away from Garcia, stopping before Cary. She hugged him tightly. He returned her embrace as she whispered into his ear, "Take care of yourself."

"I'm going to miss you," he whispered back.

She pulled away from him and offered a sad smile. "Thank you for everything."

Garcia tugged on her arm gently, saying, "We've got to go, Nine."

She nodded, forcing herself to walk away from the famed actor.

As the team started to walk off the set and back towards the Lifeboat, Tenley asked, "How did you guys manage to escape?"

Rufus replied, "Well, Cary Grant wasn't fully tied up when Errol turned his attention back towards you." Rufus turned to look at Garcia and asked, "And where the hell did you run off to?"

Garcia held his gaze. "I took care of the sleeper."

"That explains your wardrobe change," Rufus muttered. "Can we please grab some new clothes for me before we go home?" When no one said anything, he pleaded, "I'm begging you...I have to get out of these tights!"

Lucy laughed as she fell in step with Rufus. Tenley looked up at Garcia and asked, "What happened to you? Where'd you go?"

He glanced down at her. "I was working behind the scenes." She smirked at his comment. He added, "I'm sorry it took me longer than I anticipated."

Rufus stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Garcia. "Why is it that no one told me that you two were in love?"

Garcia's eyebrows lifted, surprised. He glanced over to Tenley. She admitted, "It sort of slipped out when Errol Flynn interrogated me."

Rufus shook his head. "How did I miss this?"

"If you stop talking about it," Garcia began. "We can stop for a change of clothes for you."

Rufus pretended to lock his lips with an invisible key as they continued onward.

Garcia glanced at Tenley out of the corner of his eye. "You love me?"

She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye. When Rufus found some clothes and the team stopped to wait for him to change, Garcia turned her towards him. "Nine?"

She sighed. "Yes, okay?" She turned her gaze to look at anything but him. "I didn't plan on saying anything in front of them, but it slipped...I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Nothing to be sorry for."

She lifted her eyes to meet his. His face showed nothing to hint that he was angry with her or upset at her slip-up. In fact, he seemed almost relaxed about this information - almost as if he already knew. She smiled sheepishly at him.

Rufus returned, dressed in normal clothing for the times. He looked at the three. "Thank you for saving me from the humiliation that would have come from those tight tights."

Lucy's smile grew as they continued toward the Lifeboat. "For what it's worth, you can totally pull that look off." She glanced over her shoulder and added, "So can you, Garcia!"

"Can we please stop using my first name and return to normal?" he asked, slightly annoyed. Lucy laughed, turning her back to him once more.

As they walked, Flynn reached out and grabbed Tenley's hand. He interlocked his fingers with hers, squeezing ever so slightly in a reassuring manner.

Her eyes darted from her hand to his face. She smiled up at him, feeling her heart beating in longing for him. It was a simple gesture, but it meant the world to her. It felt right and she knew that they wouldn't be doing this when they returned home, so she relished in this moment.


	41. Reunion

**A/N: Thank you guest and graciegale for your reviews. I appreciate your kind words and I am happy to hear that you are enjoying the story. I hope you continue reading. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Present day**

The team climbed out of the Lifeboat. When they were standing on solid ground, they filled Agent Christopher in on what had happened.

Everyone stood in the main room as Flynn explained what he had learned from the sleeper before the poison overtook him.

"That doesn't make sense," Lucy began. "Why would my mother start another 'evil' cult-organization?"

Rufus tilted his head at the comment. "Seems like a hobby for her."

Lucy ignored his jab and asked, "Are you sure you heard him right?"

Flynn turned his seemingly annoyed gaze over to her. "It's not the first time we've been told about this from these agents. It can't just be coincidence."

"I just don't understand-" Lucy halted herself. It was clear that no one understood.

Agent Christopher turned her attention back to Flynn. "What else did you learn?"

He crossed his arms. "He warned me to heed the words of Edgar and Jack."

"Edgar and Jack?" Wyatt asked. "What do they have to do with it?"

Jiya chimed in. "Didn't they warn you against someone named Reynolds?"

"It's not coincidence," Flynn remarked. "It just can't be. Two different people, from two different time-periods?"

Denise nodded. "Agreed," she admitted. "Get some rest while you can. I'll keep looking into it."

The team dispersed towards their rooms. After changing, Tenley went back to the main living area to check up on Wyatt. The rest of the team had already gathered to grab a bite to eat.

Wyatt sat on the couch, feet propped up on the coffee table as he watched a movie. It wasn't until Tenley sat next to him that she realized he was watching The Adventures of Robin Hood.

"So, you guys are telling me that he was really a Nazi sympathizer?" Wyatt asked.

Rufus bobbed his head up and down. "And a terrible actor."

"Please," Wyatt scoffed. "He was good at his craft before this movie ended it for him."

"I was hoping to check your wounds," Tenley stated.

Wyatt nodded. "Give me a minute." He reached for the remote and paused the movie. A wide smile broke out across his face. "Are you kidding me?"

Tenley glanced over her shoulder to see the paused movie. On the screen was the fight between the Merry Men and the sheriff's men. In the background, clear as day, was Rufus in his green costume - tights and all.

Rufus choked on his food as he spotted himself on the screen. Jiya's face lit up in pure amusement as she neared the TV to get a better look.

Wyatt stood up and turned around to look at Rufus. "You were a Merry Man?"

Rufus cleared his throat. "So was Flynn."

"No, I don't believe you," Wyatt remarked. "You're in the movie!"

"I'm never going to live this down, am I?" Rufus asked, clearly knowing the answer.

Wyatt laughed. "Never! This is so my favorite movie now!"

Lucy started to laugh at the scene unfolding.

Seeing Rufus squirm made Tenley feel badly for him. "Okay, cowboy, let's get you checked out."

As Wyatt laughed while heading to the infirmary, Tenley's eyes locked with Rufus, who nodded his thanks to her. She simply smiled back at him, following Wyatt down the hall.

In the infirmary, Tenley set to the task of checking Wyatt's wounds. He had recovered nicely. She finished wrapping his torso once more and took her gloves off. "You've come a long way," she admitted. "You're just about healed."

"When can I go back out?" he asked.

She held his gaze. His injuries were still somewhat a concern to her, but she knew that if they had to go back out, he could manage, as long as he was careful. "As long as you don't go into any mosh pits or cage fights," she stated. "You should be okay."

He smirked. "Take it easy, got it." He hopped off the exam table and started to head out. "Thanks doc."

She nodded as she watched him leave. Once she was alone, she started cleaning up the infirmary.

The next couple of days were relatively silent. While the team was thankful to have some down time to recover, they were finding themselves also frustrated at the lack of headway they were making in identifying this 'Reynolds' character. It was more of the same, and they were tired of it.

The team did the best they could as the days passed by. Wyatt was all healed up, aside from the lingering bruises. Rufus managed to hide Wyatt's copy of The Adventures of Robin Hood. During their downtime, the team didn't do much more than rest. No one had the energy to do more than that.

Once life started to become routine, the alarms in the bunker began to sound. Jiya sat down at the console. Everyone waited anxiously behind her for her relay of information.

"October 1847," Jiya announced. "New York."

Tenley's face fell. "1847?"

The team turned to face the doctor. Jiya double checked the computer before saying, "That's what it says..."

Agent Christopher glanced at Lucy before turning her attention to the doctor. "Tenley?"

She swallowed before saying, "That's about the time that Elizabeth Blackwell gets accepted into a medical college." She noticed the surprised faces looking at her and she added, "They have a whole class dedicated to who she is in medical school. Without her..." She paused long enough to advert her gaze from the team. "Without her, women wouldn't have had the right to become doctors...and she was an advocate for women's rights to education." When she lifted her gaze back to look at the team, she was met with some sympathetic glances. She added, "The school that accepted her put it to a vote among the other students - all 150 men - with the stipulation that if even _one_ man votes no, she wouldn't be allowed to study there."

"You think Rittenhouse might try to sway the vote?" Agent Christopher asked.

Lucy seemed lost in thought before saying, "If they can succeed in stopping her from being accepted into that college, it could be catastrophic for many of us..."

Agent Christopher nodded. "Get yourself ready then. Be careful."  
Tenley turned and headed down the hallway. Flynn watched her leave and followed after her.

He followed her into the infirmary, closing the door behind him. "Nine?"

She turned around to face him, face wet with tears. His heart ached as he saw her pain. She closed the gap between them. Grabbing his face, she pulled him into a deep passionate kiss. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him as he returned the kiss.

He held her gaze and asked, "What was that for?"

She sniffled slightly before whispering, "In case I'm not here when you return."

He furrowed his brows at her comment. He pulled her in for more last kiss before he forced himself to leave the infirmary.

Upon heading for the Lifeboat, he realized that she was the real target on this mission. If Rittenhouse/Bloodstone succeeded in their mission to prevent Blackwell from being accepted to a medical college, Tenley wouldn't be in the picture anymore - which from what he remembered from past missions involving Jack, they had been trying to keep her off the team for a while and failed.

As Flynn climbed into the Lifeboat, he knew that this mission would be personal. He would fight as hard as he could to make sure that Tenley would still be in the bunker upon his return. He started to panic at the thought of losing her; it felt like he was reliving his personal history all over again with the loss of his wife and daughter. He refused to go through that again. If he had to kill more men to protect her, then so be it.

 **1847**

The team entered the courtyard of the Geneva Medical College campus. Young men brushed passed them as they headed to their classes. There wasn't a single woman to be seen, outside of Lucy, who stood out like a sore thumb. The young men passing by had given her a second glance to make sure they were seeing a woman on campus grounds.

"What's the plan here?" Wyatt asked. "You said that she's accepted right?"

"Yes," Lucy started. "But that's before Rittenhouse or Bloodstone got involved. Who knows what they're going to do to keep this woman from succeeding."

"How do we even begin?" Rufus questioned. "I mean, are we going to persuade all 150 men to let her join?"

Lucy mulled the idea over. "I think that's a good idea."

"I was joking," Rufus scoffed.

Lucy shook her head. "I think that's a good place to start though. I mean, we need to see what their thoughts are, right? Who knows? Maybe we'll discover Rittenhouse's plan by talking to the class."

"Then we better find out who's in the class," Flynn remarked. "150 students is a lengthy list, and we're wasting time."

No one argued with Flynn about his short temper. They understood how much was riding on this mission - not just for Tenley, but for him too.

As they began to walk down the sidewalk, Flynn stated, "We're going to need a list of students and their addresses."

"What if they don't hand that information over?" Rufus asked, afraid of what the answer would be.

"I think it's safe to say that we have ways of making them talk," Flynn stated.

Rufus laughed. "Who do you think you are? Gary Cooper?" Wyatt smirked as he understood the reference.

Flynn gritted his teeth. He wasn't amused. His thoughts were solely on making sure that this mission didn't fail. He needed to succeed to see Tenley in the bunker when they returned.

In the admissions office, Flynn approached the desk of the receptionist working. "Excuse me?" he asked, trying to be as polite as possible. The old man looked up, pushing his glasses up his nose. Flynn asked, "I'm hoping you can help me. I'm searching for a list of students attending the college."

"I can't give you that information," the old man replied, turning his sights back to his paperwork.

"It's a matter of import, sir," Flynn tried to say.

The old man didn't look up. "Are you a detective?"

"No," Flynn admitted.

The old man finally looked up again. "Then I can't help you."

"Please-" Flynn was cut off.

"Is there something else I can do for you?" the old man asked.

Flynn's jaw hardened. He contemplated using force to get what he wanted, but something stopped him. He realized that by using aggressive force would most likely land him in jail. He couldn't risk doing that and taking the precious time away from the task at hand. He shook his head. "No, thank you."

Flynn turned around and rejoined the team. Rufus raised an eyebrow at him. "You certainly made him talk, 'Gary'."

Flynn sighed. "There's got to be another way that won't land us into more trouble with the law."

Lucy thought for a moment. "Do you think he'd be more receptive to me?"

"I doubt it," Flynn admitted with a head shake. "No, we need to ask around campus."

"That's going to take a while," Wyatt remarked. "Do we even have time for that?"

"Maybe we should split up and cover more ground?" Lucy suggested.

"Or we could ask Emma," Rufus chimed in. When the team glanced over to him, he pointed across the yard to a building on the opposite end of the campus. Standing outside on the steps was Emma.

Wyatt took a step forward to run after her, but Flynn stopped him. "What are you doing?" Wyatt questioned.

Flynn stated, "If you run after her, you're going to attract unwanted attention. We need to go about this calmly."

"Calm?" Wyatt repeated. "Since when are you the calm one?"

Flynn released a heavy sigh. "Apparently I'm the only one right now."

"Is she coming over here?" Rufus asked, face scrunched in confusion as he stared across the yard at her.

They watched as Emma marched across the yard towards them. They met her halfway. Wyatt and Flynn were both on guard as they stood before her.

"You waste no time, do you?" Emma asked with an amused smirk on her face.

"What do you want?" Wyatt hissed at her, standing in front of Lucy protectively.

Emma still wore her smug smirk on her face as her eyes darted between the members of the team before her. "Let's just say that I lied back in 1919." Emma could see the team thinking hard about the date. She sighed and stated, "Alice Paul? Ring a bell?"

"Lied about what?" Lucy asked, still confused.

"I told you that I would only help you that one time," Emma admitted. "But I find myself at another crossroads."

"What does that mean?" Rufus questioned. "Is this a trick?"

Emma shook her head, red hair bouncing off her cheeks. "Like last time, I don't believe in this mission."

"Why?" Wyatt questioned, eyes narrowed at her suspiciously.

Emma sighed heavily, clearly growing frustrated by them. "Elizabeth Blackwell is an advocate for women's rights as well as their right to education." She glared at the team. "If Bloodstone succeeds in this mission, then most of us will be stuck at home as lesser citizens...and you know how I feel about that."

"You said Bloodstone..." Wyatt pointed out.

Emma nodded. "This is a Bloodstone mission, not Rittenhouse."

"Why would you guys be divided on this?" Flynn questioned. "How do we know that you're not playing us right now?"

"Do I look like I'm playing you?" she asked, face stern.

"Like we'd be able to tell?" Rufus replied. "You're like an Oscar winning actress."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Do you want my help finding the sleeper or not?"

"What's in it for you?" Wyatt asked.

Emma pursed her lips to the side, clearly annoyed. "Haven't you been listening? If this mission succeeds, more than likely," she motioned to Lucy and herself as she continued, "We'd be sitting at home waiting on an abusive husband." Before anyone could retort, she added, "Believe it or not, I'm your best shot at stopping this sleeper."

"Right," Rufus muttered. "You're a regular feminist."

Emma rolled her eyes again. "Unless you'd rather deal with this on your own, then I can certainly head out of here. Up to you."

Lucy thought it over for a moment before asking, "Can we trust you?"

Emma glanced over at her. "You don't have a choice."

Flynn swallowed before saying, "Fine. Where's the sleeper going to be?"

Emma glanced about the campus yard. "That, unfortunately, is where our work is cut out for us."

"You don't know?" Wyatt gaped.

Emma turned her attention to Wyatt. "This is a Bloodstone mission, remember?"

"What do you suggest we do then?" Wyatt asked.

"Figure out who the sleeper is," Emma stated.

"Thanks for that, Captain Obvious," Rufus muttered.

Wyatt cleared his throat. "If this is a Bloodstone mission, then that means there's likely more than one sleeper here."

Emma smirked. "I guess you're not as dumb as you look."


	42. The Man With The Machine Gun

**A/N: Thank you graciegale for you review and messages. They truly made my day. I'm glad you're a fan and are enjoying the story.**

 **Just in case anyone else is wondering, I try to update once a week, usually on Mondays. Thanks again for your reading. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

The group split up - Lucy and Wyatt were together, while Rufus, Flynn, and Emma paired up, much to Rufus's protesting.

The task at hand was simple: Find the sleepers quickly. After that, Emma had suggested that they should eliminate them before they could return to the present. Should the sleepers survive, it could have disastrous consequences.

As the three walked through the dormitories, Emma asked, "Where's your doctor friend? I thought she'd want to be a part of this mission."

Flynn narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Emma. "Why is that?"

Emma scoffed, shaking her head. "Come on," she sighed. "A chance to meet the woman who pioneered the way for women in medicine?"

"We didn't think that she needed to be a part of this one," Flynn replied, plainly.

Emma inhaled slowly. "I think you made a mistake by _not_ having her come along."

"Why do you say that?" Rufus questioned, brows furrowed.

Emma glanced over her shoulder at the man. "Seriously?" Her eyes darted over to Flynn who had also been staring at her suspiciously. She chuckled. "If you were to fail at this mission, at least you'd still have her on the team... and she'd still be a doctor."

Flynn realized that what Emma was saying was true and he hated to admit it. He turned his eyes away from her. "We'll succeed."

"Oh? You know this for sure?" she goaded.

He glared at her. "If we fail, you're as good as dead."

Emma smirked. "Okay, tough guy. Keep your shirt on."

They rounded a corner to see some of the students mingling in the hallway. As they approached, the kids looked over at them, clearly wondering who they were.

Emma approached a kid and asked, "Have you seen any new female classmates lately?"

One kid looked Emma up and down. "Who are you?"

"I'm one of the new professors," she lied. "I'm looking for the new classmates to catch them up to speed."

"Professor?" the kid repeated. He glanced over at the others before turning back to her. "Teaching what?"

Emma realized her mistake. Flynn quickly chimed in. "She's my assistant, not an _actual_ professor." He turned to Emma and added, "You keep forgetting your place." The students laughed, half-heartily. Flynn turned back to them and asked, "I've been instructed by the Dean to catch the new students up to speed before classes begin."

"Well," the kid started. "I think the new kids are in the library, trying to find their books."

Flynn asked, "What are your thoughts about having a female student joining you?"

The kids shrugged. "I mean, they seemed nice enough...seemed to know their stuff, too."

"They both have funny accents, though," another kid remarked.

Rufus raised an eyebrow at the comment as the three turned to head towards the library. "Those boys said 'they'," Rufus recalled as they headed outside. "Does that mean there's more than one female prospective?"

Emma's brows furrowed together as she was deep in thought. Flynn eyed her, waiting for her answer. Emma shook her head. "I guess we better find them. At least it will be a bit easier now that we know one of the sleepers is female."

The three began making their way towards the library.

Wyatt and Lucy navigated through the empty corridors of one of the campus buildings. Lucy inhaled deeply, smile growing wide across her face. Her expression didn't go unnoticed by Wyatt.

"What's that look for?" he questioned her, clearly amused.

She blinked at him. "What?" she asked, almost lost in thought.

He smirked. "You're smiling like you've got a secret."

"Oh!" she chuckled. "It's nothing."

He held her stare, a smile of his own forming across his lips. "Tell me."

She inhaled deeply again. "Do you smell that?"

Wyatt took a deep breath. "No. What am I supposed to be smelling?"

Her smile widened. "Books," she replied. "Books and chalk and...learning!"

He laughed at her, wildly amused. "You're such a nerd."

She giggled back. "I love the smell of old books! It's comforting!"

"If you say so," Wyatt replied, continuing down the hallways of the campus building.

"You don't know what you're missing out on," Lucy retorted, as she fell in step with him.

He hummed a response as they turned a corner. The moment they rounded the corner, they froze in place. Standing at the end of the long hallway were three men dressed in suits.

Before the Suits could spot them, Wyatt tugged Lucy out of the hallway, slipping into a utility closet. He closed the door quickly behind them. He could feel Lucy against him. It was at that moment, he realized just how little room they had to move around.

He glanced down at her and whispered, "Are you all right?"

She whispered back, "Those were the sleepers-"

He nodded, letting her know that she was right. "We're outnumbered," he told her. "I couldn't risk trying to take them on by myself and risk..."

Lucy studied his face, waiting for him to continue. When he didn't, she pressed him to finish his thoughts. "Risk what?"

He held her gaze as he answered honestly, "You."

Lucy's heart fluttered at Wyatt's admittance. She desperately wanted to reach forward and kiss him, but she knew that there were other factors still in place preventing her from acting out on her impulses.

Wyatt's eyes continued to hold Lucy's. He found himself realizing that whatever he had with Jessica once upon a time, wasn't what he had with Lucy. They were like magnets being drawn to one another, time and again, and the more he resisted, the more powerful that connection grew. He knew in that moment, he couldn't deny his feelings for her any longer.

Without asking for permission, Wyatt placed his hands on either side of her face, pulling her into a deep and passionate kiss. For the first time in his life, Wyatt experienced the fireworks that so many had talked about when he kissed Lucy. Shockwaves of feelings he never knew existed were sent coursing throughout his body. It was electrifying.

Lucy couldn't deny those same sensations when Wyatt kissed her. Her body had suddenly become alive, almost as if Wyatt was the jolt she needed to see the world through new eyes. She didn't want this feeling to end. The world had melted away into a soundless nothing, leaving her alone with Wyatt.

Their kiss had been interrupted by the door to the utility closet being thrown open. Wyatt whirled around to protect Lucy. Eyes wide, the startled two were standing face to face with the janitor of the college campus.

The old man eyed the two of them. "What are you two doing in there!?" He stepped aside, motioning for them to get out. "Get out of there before I report you to the Dean!"

"Sorry sir," Wyatt replied. "Won't happen again!"

"See that it doesn't!" the janitor snapped.

Wyatt grabbed Lucy's hand and tugged her along. They quickly exited the campus. Once they were outside, Wyatt laughed. "Well, I wasn't expecting that!"

Lucy had been laughing too. She felt like a school girl all over again. She gathered herself and stated, "I think he was just about as surprised as we were!"

The two of them smiled at one another before familiar voices joined them. "What's so funny?"

They looked over to see Rufus, Emma, and Flynn stopping before them. Wyatt shook his head. "Nothing really."

"Doesn't look like nothing," Rufus pointed out.

Flynn sighed. "Find anything?"

Wyatt stated, "We found three of the Bloodstone men inside-"

"And you didn't do anything?" Emma asked, shooting a disapproving look at Wyatt.

Wyatt narrowed his eyes at her. "I was outnumbered, three to one."

Flynn pointed back at the building. "Are they still inside?"

Lucy chimed in, "I doubt that they are. We had just been kicked out by the janitor."

Emma smirked as she studied the two of them. She chose to stay out of it, but it became apparent to Wyatt and Lucy that Emma had figured out what had taken place.

Rufus stated, "We discovered that at least one of the sleepers is female."

"Really?" Lucy asked. "We haven't seen a female Bloodstone member yet-"

"Doesn't mean they aren't there," Emma pointed out. "I hate to break it to you, Princess, but you don't know everything, least of all about Bloodstone."

Wyatt glared at Emma. "Sounds like you know more than you're telling us."

She smirked. "Let's just get this mission over with already, so that we can all go about our separate ways...shall we?"

Rufus quickly asked, trying to ease the growing tension, "What do we do now?"

"Same as before," Wyatt stated. "We find Elizabeth Blackwell."

"Seems to be easier said than done," Rufus muttered.

The team with Emma in tow, scoured the campus in search of Elizabeth Blackwell. They hadn't had much success. As the team regrouped outside the last building on campus they had searched to discuss their options, a group of students walked by them.

"This better be worth it!" one of them complained. "I have studying to do-"

"Oh, shut up," another retorted. "You won't regret coming!"

"Are those girls going to be there?" another asked.

"Why do you think I said it'd be worth your time?" the second voice stated.

Once the group of students walked by, Rufus looked at the team. "Talk about perfect timing!"

"Almost too perfect," Wyatt complained.

The team started to follow the students. Lucy asked, "What are we planning on doing here? Crash their party?"

"Do you have a better plan?" Flynn asked, keeping a close eye on Emma.

Emma rolled her eyes. "I don't care what they're doing. We need to stop that sleeper and go home."

"Have somewhere else you need to be?" Wyatt spat.

Emma smirked, not revealing anything more to the team.

Rufus's brows knitted together as though he had suddenly remembered something. "Why is it that whenever we see you in other timelines, you disappear?"

Emma's smirked widened. "If you're asking me that, you're not ready to know the answer."

"We could always force you to tell us," Wyatt threatened.

Flynn eyed Wyatt, but chose to stay quiet. He couldn't disagree with Wyatt, but his thoughts remained on Tenley. He wanted to side with Emma on this one. He just wanted to get this mission over with so they could go home. He needed to see Tenley - make sure that she was still there when they returned.

The pack of students led the team towards an old boat house. There were a lot of students gathered, clearly having a party of sorts. As the team got closer, they could see more than two women present.

Rufus sighed. "Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they'd bring dates."

Wyatt ran a hand through his hair, clearing frustrated. "Great. Now what?"

Emma rolled her eyes, taking a step forward. "We talk to them and locate their female students. It's not like it's rocket science."

Lucy nodded. "Sometimes the easiest solution is the way to go."

Wyatt replied, "Okay, so let's split up and track down these students." Emma started to head away from the group, but Wyatt stopped her. "Where do you think you're going?"

She glared at him. "Do you want to find these girls or not?"

"You're sticking with us," he told her. "I don't trust you."

She shook her head, wearing a disapproving smirk. "We can cover more ground if you let me go-"

"Never gonna happen," Wyatt stated.

Flynn sighed. "We're wasting time...let's go."

Emma followed Wyatt and Lucy into the crowd, while Rufus and Flynn began their search outside the boat house.

Rufus muttered, "Who knew that kids at this time had parties."

Flynn glanced over at Rufus. He shook his head, staying silent. His eyes scanned the crowds, searching for someone that didn't belong or seemed uncomfortable being there.

Rufus began asking the students nearby if they had seen their new female classmates. When none of them wanted to speak to Rufus, he was reminded of the times. He sighed, glancing up to meet Flynn's eyes. "I hate history, have I said that before?"

"Once or twice," Flynn replied.

"Well, let me make it clear how much I _hate_ history," he said.

Flynn turned from Rufus and stopped a man walking by. "Have you seen Elizabeth Blackwell?"

The kid looked up to Flynn. "Who's asking?"

"Her father," Flynn replied sternly.

The look on the kid's face fell. He seemed shocked and guilty of something. He stammered, "S-she's over that way."

After the kid practically stumbled over himself to get out of the boat house, Rufus asked, "Was it something you said?"

Flynn raised an eyebrow at Rufus as he turned back towards the direction the kid stated Elizabeth was at. He pushed his way through the crowds of people to reach the back of the house with Rufus close behind.

Lucy and Wyatt stopped in the middle of the crowded yard. Wyatt turned his attention behind them and noticed that Emma had disappeared from their sights. He exhaled sharply. "Are you kidding me?"

Lucy glanced about, searching for a head of red hair, but failed. "Look, it's fine," she tried to sound reassuring. "We just need to find them before she does. Okay?"

Wyatt held her gaze, unconvinced. "Yeah, you're right." He took her hand in his, holding it tightly. "Let's go."

They navigated through the crowds. As they moved through the crowds, they asked some of the students if they had seen Elizabeth Blackwell. Some stated they hadn't while others gave different directions to where they had last seen her.

"Well, that wasn't helpful," Wyatt muttered.

Lucy sighed, shaking her head as she tried to think. Her eyes suddenly caught sight of something that didn't belong to this timeline. She focused on balcony on the back of the house. The man standing, overlooking the crowd was dressed in a black suit. He was holding a Thompson submachine gun in his hands.

Lucy's breath hitched in her chest as her heart stopped. Her grip on Wyatt's hand tightened, alerting him to the danger. He turned to look at her. He saw the fear written on her face and glanced up to where her attention was. The moment he spotted the Suit with the gun, he shouted, "Everyone, run!"

The man with the machine gun opened fire down onto the crowd below. Screams of terror erupted in the night. People began to flee in every direction. Some had been hit by the rain of bullets, falling to the ground.

Wyatt pushed Lucy towards safety. His sole purpose in that moment was to protect Lucy. He no longer cared about the mission or the person he was trying to find within this timeline. He needed to make sure that Lucy survived.


	43. Dangerous Beauty

Flynn and Rufus heard Wyatt's voice shouting something over the crowd, but couldn't make it out from inside. "Was that Wyatt?" Rufus asked.

The moment the question was asked, the sound of heavy gunfire overtook their senses. Flynn shouted, "Get these people out of here!"

Rufus nodded, not needing to be told twice. He started ushering people out of the boathouse and towards safety. When he glanced over, he spotted Flynn heading up the stairs to the second floor of the boathouse with his gun drawn.

Flynn ran up the stairs, skipping steps to try and catch the sleeper unawares. As he reached the top of the stairs, a door opened and another Suit appeared. Flynn grabbed the man's gun before the man realized what was happening. Shoving the man's arm away, he fired a single shot into the Suit's chest, killing him.

At the end of the landing, opposite of Flynn, a door opened and a second Suit appeared, firing rounds at him. Flynn took cover within the room nearby, waiting for the break in gunfire before sticking his head out to take the Suit down.

With each round that landed nearby, Flynn flinched. He worried that he might not be able to take this sleeper down without getting wounded in the process. A couple more rounds went off, followed by silence.

Flynn poked his head carefully around the corner to see Emma standing over the body of the Suit. Her eyes lifted to see Flynn. She nodded to the door that would lead them to the balcony.

Without arguing, Flynn nodded and reached the door at the same time as Emma. They studied each other for a moment before opening the door to the balcony.

The man on the other side hadn't heard their approach. He whirled around to open fire upon them, but both Emma and Flynn didn't hesitate in firing round after round into the man's body, bringing him down.

Flynn's eyes scanned the area. He asked, "We're still missing a sleeper."

Emma nodded. "I know," she stated. "I'll start looking for her."

Flynn glanced over at her. "Thank you."

Emma seemed almost shocked to hear his words. Recovering from her shock, she stated, "Don't thank me yet. We still have work to do."

He watched as she left the balcony to try and find the remaining Suit. Once Emma was out of sight, he turned back to observe the damage from the balcony. The yard to the boathouse was littered with bodies. Not all of them were dead, but several were.

Flynn hoped as he began to make his way down to the yard, that Elizabeth Blackwell wasn't one of the victims. He feared that if she died during this attack, Tenley wouldn't be home when he returned. It killed him inside to think that she would be ripped from his life, much like his wife and daughter had been.

He tried to shake the thoughts from his mind, but they still lingered there like the nightmare it was. He hadn't expected to fall in love again, but now that he was, it pained him to think that it would all be for naught.

Once he reached the yard, he began assessing the victims. The first couple of kids he had checked were dead. Movement caught his attention and he lifted his eyes. He spotted a young woman assessing the victims on the other side of the yard from him. Her movements reminded him of Tenley.

He stood up and approached her. "Are you all right?"

The young woman looked up at him. "I'm okay, but..." her words drifted away as she looked about the yard. "Why would anyone do such a thing?"

Flynn asked, "What's your name?" The woman had a hint of an accent and he was suddenly filled with hope that she was the woman they were searching for.

"Elizabeth," she stated. "Elizabeth Blackwell." She knelt down to continue checking the wounded students. She glanced back up to Flynn and asked, "Will you stay and help me?"

He nodded, bending down next to her. "What do you need me to do?"

Wyatt and Lucy started to make their way back to the boathouse. Wyatt's hand wrapped around Lucy's protectively as they walked back to the scene. As they neared, they spotted Rufus.

"What happened?" Wyatt asked.

Rufus stared at them as they approached him. "Where did you two disappear to?"

"We were in the yard when it happened," Lucy tried to explain.

Rufus nodded in understanding. "Flynn and Emma took the Suits down, but..."

"What?" Lucy asked, fear growing in the pit of her stomach. "Is Elizabeth okay?"

Rufus nodded. "She's taking care of the wounded."

"So," Wyatt began. "What's the problem?"

"Emma disappeared to try and find the last Suit," Rufus explained.

Wyatt scoffed. "You let her go by herself?"

Rufus glared at him. "What, you wanted me to go with her?"

"Let's not fight," Lucy said. "Not now."

Wyatt shook his head. "You're right... where's Flynn now?"

Rufus motioned towards the back of the boathouse. Police officers had shown up, keeping people away from the scene. "They arrived just a few minutes ago."

Wyatt took a step forward, but Rufus stopped him. "Don't bother," he stated. "They won't let anyone near the place."

"So," Wyatt began. "What do we do?"

"Wait," Rufus stated simply.

Flynn and Elizabeth Blackwell had finished stabilizing the wounded for transfer to the local hospital. The police officers had questioned them shortly after. When they concluded their interviews, the officers had allowed them to leave.

Flynn walked next to Elizabeth as they left the scene. He asked, "Are you sure you're all right?"

She nodded. "As best as one can be," she explained. "I will never understand why people harm others in such a manner." She turned her gaze up to meet his. "I saw you fighting that man on the balcony...you killed him."

Flynn wasn't sure what to say to her. He nodded, eventually saying, "I had to do something to make sure that he didn't kill more."

She studied his face. "You're not lying, but... you're not exactly telling me the full truth...who are you?"

Flynn stopped to focus on her. "You're very important here," he told her. "I needed to make sure that you were okay."

"You knew about this attack?" she questioned, stepping back from him.

He shook his head. "No," he answered honestly. "I had no idea that something like _that_ was going to happen."

Her brows furrowed at him. "But you knew that _something_ was coming..." When Flynn nodded, she asked, "Why? I don't understand..."

Flynn sighed, trying to think of the best way to tell her. He realized that he couldn't sugarcoat anything. He had to tell her outright. "You're important to history," he explained. "You pave the way for women to be educated - to become doctors. Without you..." his words fell off.

Her expression softened, almost as if she had connected the dots quicker than he expected. "You're doing this for someone you love, aren't you?" she asked. When Flynn nodded, she smiled at him. "She's a lucky woman to have someone care so much for her." They turned to begin walking again. Elizabeth added, "Margreet told me that I would become important one day."

Flynn's brows knitted together as he glanced over at Elizabeth. "Who's Margreet?"

"She's the other woman trying to get accepted into this university," Elizabeth explained.

"Where is she?" he asked. "Was she at the party?"

"Oh, no," Elizabeth said. "She said that she had other plans tonight. She should be home now...would you like to meet her?"

Flynn nodded. "Of course.  
He followed Elizabeth down the sidewalk towards her housing where he'd finally find the missing sleeper. He began to prepare himself for a fight.

The two made their climb up the short cobblestone steps into a brownstone building. Elizabeth led Flynn into an apartment, closing the door behind them. "Margreet? Are you home?" Elizabeth called out.

Flynn's eyes scanned the room. He had become on guard, waiting for the worst.

Footsteps approached them. Rounding the corner, a beautiful woman in her twenties appeared before them. She embraced Elizabeth. "I heard about what happened," she said, voice holding a bit of an accent. "Are you all right?"

Flynn's eyes narrowed at the woman. Something seemed familiar to him. His mind raced as he tried to place why this woman was familiar.

"I'm all right," Elizabeth stated. "I have this gentleman to thank for that."

The moment Margreet's eyes landed on Flynn, recognition washed over her features. Flynn spotted it before the woman continued with her act. "Then thanks are in order," she stated, reaching her hand towards Flynn. He shook it, holding her gaze as she added, "Thank you for keeping such a close eye on my friend."

"Pleasure was all mine," he replied. He took in her dark features. He knew that he knew her, but his mind was drawing a blank.

Margreet took her hand from his hold. "What happened, Elizabeth? Tell me everything!"

Elizabeth began regaling Margreet with the story of the events hours earlier. She even explained Flynn's part in helping stop the madness.

Flynn watched Margreet's body language as she listened to the story. She was growing rigid and uncomfortable. Before he had a chance to ask her a question, a knock landed on the front door.

Elizabeth stood up. "I'll get it."

"Are you sure?" Margreet asked. "You have company-"

"I don't mind," she replied as she slipped out of the room.

Flynn watched Margreet's sweet disposition disappear as it became just the two of them. Her face hardened as she looked at Flynn. "Why are you here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Flynn retorted.

She smirked, but refused to say anything. Flynn's gaze hardened as he watched her. She stood up and walked to her desk. Opening a drawer, she stated, "I think you've made a mistake in coming here."

"Why do you say that?" Flynn asked, hand slipping into his jacket, readying himself to pull his gun out on her.

She reached into the drawer and removed something that Flynn couldn't quite see. When she whirled around, she aimed her own gun at Flynn. "Hands up."

He slowly removed his hand from his jacket, knowing that he no longer had the upper hand. He raised his hands defensively. "What are you going to do now?"

"Finish the task I was given," she stated simply.

He stared at her, watching her movements. "What are you going to tell Elizabeth?"

Margreet laughed. "She'll be next. I'll just tell the police that I came home to find you over her body, and I acted out in self-defense."

"That'll never hold," he told her. "And you know it."

"You underestimate us," she said.

"Us?" Flynn repeated. "Who's us?"

Margreet sighed, realizing her mistake, but shook it off. "I guess it doesn't matter now," she stated. "You've killed my companions."

"So," he began carefully. "You're Bloodstone now?" When she smirked, he asked, "You gave up your life for this? Was it worth it?"

Margreet smiled at him. "By giving up my life, you mean giving up the suffering that I would have endured during my own timeline? Then yes, I gave it up willingly to live a full life!"

"What's going on here?" Elizabeth asked, suddenly reappearing in the room. Her eyes grew wide as she saw Margreet standing before Flynn, gun aimed at him.

Margreet motioned for her to join Flynn on the sofa. "Sit down."

Elizabeth hesitated for a moment, but did as she was told. She sat next to Flynn, hands raised defensively like his. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye before turning her attention back to her friend. "What are you doing? What's happening?"

"Shut up!" Margreet shouted at Elizabeth. "You're _so_ annoying!"

Elizabeth's eyes widened at Margreet's outburst. She blinked back tears. Flynn held Margreet's stare. He was waiting for the perfect opportunity to overpower her. Flynn said, "Seems to me that your life now isn't so different than the life you had."

Margreet sighed. "That's where you're wrong," she told him. "I have freedom now."

"Do you?" Flynn asked. "Seems to me that you're still tied down to those that would control you."

Elizabeth glanced between the two of them. "Forgive me, but do you two know each other?"

Margreet smirked. "Something like that..." she replied. "Flynn, is it?" she asked, turning her attention towards him. "Flynn here, will come looking for me in about fifty years with his friends...isn't that right?"

Elizabeth's brows knitted together in confusion. She turned to Flynn. "What is she talking about?"

Flynn remained quiet, watching Margreet. Margreet continued, "I've been sent here to make sure that you don't succeed here."

"Succeed with what?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Since you're going to die anyways," Margreet began. "I suppose there's no harm in telling you." She turned her gaze to Elizabeth. "You're going to be accepted into this university. The student collective will vote you in unanimously and you'll become a trailblazer for women in the future to be educated, to have basic freedoms to become whatever they want to be..."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Elizabeth asked. She paused for a moment, letting the information fully sink it. "How do you know about what will happen to me?"

"Because we're from the future," Margreet stated. "Isn't that right, Flynn?"

Elizabeth glanced over to look at Flynn. She saw the seriousness on his face. Her eyes darted back to her friend. "What are you talking about? Is this a game?"

"No game," Margreet replied. "This is the shaping of the future as we know it. I kill you both and my problems cease to exist." She turned her gun towards Elizabeth. "No offense."

Just as she cocked her gun, gunfire from the hallway erupted loudly. Elizabeth screamed in fear. Flynn grabbed Elizabeth, pulling her to the floor as he covered her with his body.

Glancing over his shoulder, he watched as Margreet's body fell backwards into the desk before collapsing to the floor. Quickly turning his eyes to the hallway, he spotted a familiar frame entering the room.

"Are you planning on staying down there all night?" Emma's voice asked.

Flynn stood up, helping Elizabeth to her feet. "Took you long enough."

"You're welcome," Emma replied facetiously. She turned her attention back to the dead woman on the floor. "Who is she?"

Flynn approached the dead woman. He knelt down and checked for a pulse. She truly was dead. Sighing, he stated, "Margaretha Zelle."

"Who?" Emma asked, furrowing her brow.

Flynn stood up, still gazing upon the body of someone he once was fascinated by. "Mata Hari."

Emma nodded, fully aware of who she was at one time. "I had heard rumors that Bloodstone was taking people out of their timelines...I guess we know why now."

Flynn turned his attention over to Emma. "You had no idea this was happening?"

Emma shrugged. "It's not what Rittenhouse would have done."

Before Flynn could ask another question of Emma, the door to the apartment opened and Rufus, Wyatt, and Lucy appeared.

Emma turned to them and stated, "Crisis adverted...not that you three were any help." She glanced over her shoulder to Flynn, nodding her thanks to him. "Back to our normal programming." She brushed passed the team and disappeared into the darkness.

Flynn looked at the team and asked, "Where were you?"

"Dealing with the police and looking for you," Wyatt stated. "What happened here?"

Lucy's eyes fell to the body on the floor. Her mouth fell open. "Is that-"

Flynn nodded. "Mata Hari."

"What?" Rufus asked in shock. "What's she doing here?" He started piecing together what possibly took place and asked, "Were you about to be crushed by your childhood crush?"

Flynn gritted his teeth before rolling his eyes. Shaking his head, he turned to Elizabeth. He approached her. "Are you all right?"

Elizabeth's eyes lifted to meet his concerned gaze. "I don't understand what's going on anymore."

Flynn knelt before her, holding her hand. "Listen," he began quietly. "You're safe now. You're going to move forward with becoming a brilliant doctor. You're going to go on to do amazing things in life."

"How do you know all of this?" she asked. A soft chuckle escaped her lips before she stated, "Right, I forgot...you're from the future..."

He offered a small smile. "A lot depends on you..."

She sighed, nodding that she had recalled their previous conversation. "Will you join me on Monday?" she asked. "I'd like you to be there for their decision."

Flynn nodded. "Of course."

Monday morning had arrived. The team stood in the back of the classroom while the Dean of the university and the professors stood at the front of the entire class. Elizabeth Blackwell stood in between the students and the teachers.

"We have a decision for you to make," the Dean stated. "It has come to our attention that this young woman would like to join your ranks in this university to become a doctor." The Dean's eyes scanned the room. "Her fate is in your hands. If one of you votes no, she will not be admitted into this program."

Elizabeth swallowed nervously as she stared up at the class. Her eyes landed on Flynn. She offered him a small smile. He returned the gesture.

The professor stepped forward and announced, "Keep in mind that Miss Blackwell had saved many of your fellow classmates during the tragedy a few days ago. She showed her abilities for the skills required." The teacher eyed the class before beginning the vote. "All those in favor?"

The entire class raised their hands, shouting, "Yay!"

Elizabeth's face beamed and tears of joy started to roll down her cheeks. The teacher approached her and stated, "Congratulations, Miss Blackwell. The rest is up to you now."

She shook his hand. "Thank you, sirs. Thank you very much!"

The team began to slip out of the classroom. Flynn stopped at the door, taking one final look at Elizabeth. She smiled up at him, nodding her thanks just as he closed the door behind him.


	44. Now Flightless Wings

**Present Day**

The team emerged from the Lifeboat. Agent Christopher asked, "What happened?"

Lucy had begun explaining the events leading up to their return to Agent Christopher, including the surprise of seeing Mata Hari again.

Without waiting for Christopher's dismissal, Flynn brushed by them and headed towards the infirmary. He _had_ to know if Tenley was still in the bunker. He needed to know that they had succeeded in keeping her from disappearing from his life. He needed to see her with his own eyes.

He rounded the corner into the infirmary. His eyes scanned the room. No one was in there. His heart stopped beating for a moment. A pit formed in his stomach. Fear began to form in the back of his mind as he wondered if somehow they had failed and Tenley wasn't a part of the team anymore.

He turned, marching towards the bathroom. Upon entering it, he found it empty as well. His heart sank as he padded down the hallway towards his room. His mind raced as he questioned what had taken place during that mission. He wondered if there were more sleepers present than they realized. He questioned if Emma had something to do with their failure.

He opened the door to his room, closing it behind him. He sighed heavily as he turned. His eyes fell upon a familiar frame in his bed. Blinking the confusion away, he noticed that it was Tenley. She had curled herself up on his bed. She was still asleep and hadn't heard him enter.

He furrowed his brow, wondering how she could sleep through the bunker's alarms. The closer he got to her, he had spotted the headphones in her ears. A smile formed on his lips. He knelt down next to his bed, studying her face for a moment. She seemed peaceful laying there. He didn't want to wake her, but he knew that she would want to know that he was back.

He reached out and gently rubbed his hand up and down her arm. Her eyes flew open. She studied his face before sitting up quickly. She ripped the ear buds from her ears, tossing them aside. She slid into his arms, embracing him tightly.

His arms wrapped around her tightly. He tried to stay on the balls of his feet, but the force of her jumping into his arms had knocked him backwards to the floor. She hadn't let go of him.

He whispered, "You had me worried, Nine."

She pulled back to look him in the eyes. Tears had already started to roll down her cheeks. " _I_ had you worried?"

He nodded. "I went to see you in the infirmary, but you weren't there."

Embarrassment washed over her face. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "It's just...I was afraid that I wouldn't see you again...and I needed to be close to you, so I...I came in here..."

He smiled at her. "It's okay," he told her. "I'm here." He wiped the tears from her face, whispering again, "I'm here...and so are you."

She pulled him into another strong hug, sighing a breath of relief. He nuzzled into her neck, placing kisses along the nape of her neck.

Tenley leaned away from him, studying his face. She opened her mouth to say something, but Flynn silenced her with his lips. He slid his hand around the back of her neck, pulling her closer to him. He sought to conquer her lips until she released complete control over to him.

It didn't take long before she had surrendered to him completely. Both of them had realized during this mission, just how much the other meant to one another. The two of them deepened their kiss, almost as if their lives depended on each other for survival. There had been a heat growing between them as they sat entangled with one another on the floor.

With each searing kiss, the closer to the edge of desire the two became. Neither one of them wanted to stop, but they both knew that if they went over that edge, there would be no coming back.

There didn't seem to be a power strong enough to break them apart in this moment. They had discovered a comfort, a passion, and a love so strong that their bodies had them believing that if they didn't act on their bond now, they risked losing each other forever. They refused to allow the other to suffer that kind of loss. As though fate or destiny had pushed them closer together, Flynn and Tenley would allow the world to melt away into nothingness as they created a new world together through their mutual fire, passion, and love.

Nothing could separate them now.

The next morning, Flynn's eyes were fixated on the face of the woman he loved. He studied every curve of her face, every eyelash as she slept in his arms. He reached over and carefully, so not to disturb her, moved the strands of hair from her face. Once it was out of the way, he softly traced his finger down the side of her jaw line towards her lips. He gently ran the pad of his finger across her lips.

The sensation his tracing had caused against her lips had stirred Tenley awake. Her eyes fluttered open as she blinked up at him. A smile grew on her lips. "Morning," she whispered to him.

He smiled back. "Good morning, Nine."

She snuggled closer into him. "What time is it?"

He kissed her hair. "I'm not sure, but whatever time it is, I hope there's food and coffee available." She chuckled as they untangled themselves from one another. She watched as he stood up to dress. When he finished dressing, he sat on the edge of his bed, leaned down to her, and kissed her again. "I'll see you in a few minutes?"

She nodded and watched as he exited his room. Tenley climbed out of the bed and started the task of tracking down her clothes to dress and join the rest of them for breakfast.

As Tenley meandered towards the main living area, the bunker alarms began to sound. Quickening her pace, she managed to reach the rest of the group just as Jiya began to announce where the Mothership had jumped.

"Saipan, August 30, 1944," Jiya stated loudly, turning around to face Lucy.

Lucy's face fell. "That's...that's days before the US begins their attack on Chichijima." She turned to the others. "I don't know why Rittenhouse or Bloodstone would be here at this time, but...the Japanese were ruthless in their battles against the Allies."

Agent Christopher released a heavy sigh. "If we didn't have a need to go after Rittenhouse, I wouldn't send you over there, but..."

Tenley glanced over at Flynn. Worry washed over her face. She knew the gravity of each situation that they put themselves into over each mission, but this was on a whole new level of danger. They would be entering into one of the most deadly times of history.

Flynn met her concerned gaze and tried to offer her a reassuring smile, but he knew that it would be of little consolation to her. The mood in the room had proven to everyone just how serious it all was. The tension was heavy as the regular team began to make their way to the Lifeboat.

The moment the hatch closed and they disappeared from the present, that tension that loomed overhead darkened.

 **1944**

It didn't take the team long to find appropriate uniforms to wear. The battle to take Saipan had been a deadly one for both sides. Lucy had suggested that the team find medic patches to secure themselves at the makeshift base the Allies had set up. She feared that if the men posed as soldiers, they'd be shipped out the moment orders filtered through from the lines.

They navigated through the base, keeping their eyes and ears open for anything that might lead them to why they were there. So far, nothing out of the ordinary had cropped up.

A few bomber planes started to land on the nearby airstrip. Wyatt stopped to stare at them. "Man," he began. "I used to love those planes as a kid."

"I bet you were a regular flyboy, eh?" Rufus joked.

Wyatt didn't blink as he nodded. "I remember growing up, obsessed with the Flyboys... it's one of the reasons that I joined the military - well, that and to make my grandpa proud."

"Why didn't you become a pilot?" Lucy asked curiously.

Wyatt shook his head. "Too much training," he explained. "I wanted to serve my country as quickly as possible."

After the bomber planes had landed, the pilots and crewmen started to disperse. They were young men, full of hope and pride. They neared the team as they entered the base.

"Man," one of them started. "I can't wait to get back out there. Nothing more satisfying than taking down more of those Japs, am I right, guys?"

Most of the men agreed enthusiastically. A couple of them seemed uncomfortable by the others' bloodlust outlook about war.

"We'll need to make sure the planes are looked over and resupplied before we head out," the first man stated to the group. "Make sure that happens!"

As the men started to pass by, their eyes landed on Lucy. Smiles plastered all over their faces, tipping their hats at her. The one giving the orders had stopped in front of her. "I must say, miss," he began. "You are a delightful sight for sore eyes." Lucy smiled politely at the man. She didn't have a chance to say anything before he added, "What brings you to this part of the world?"

Lucy motioned to her arm where the medic symbol was attached. "I'm a nurse," she explained.

"It warms my heart to know that someone like you would be here to comfort me should anything happen to me," the man replied, eyes roaming over her.

Wyatt stepped forward, standing next to Lucy. He looked the man in the eyes and asked, "Are you injured, soldier?"

The man's eyes darted up to look Wyatt in the eye. He stood straighter to try and intimidate Wyatt. "No," he said. "Now, if you don't mind, I was having a conversation-"

"That's a shame," Wyatt replied. "Because we're late enough as it is."

Lucy quickly glanced back to the pilot before her. "He's right," she said. "Unfortunately, he lacks tact...long week, as you know. I'm sorry, but we should be going."

The pilot nodded, not taking his eyes off of Wyatt. "I'll see you around." With that said, the man left to rejoin his comrades.

Lucy turned to Wyatt. "What was that?"

"What?" Wyatt feigned understanding. "He's out of line."

"You should be more careful," she warned. "We don't need to attract anymore attention to ourselves than we already have."

Rufus muttered, "He's just protecting what's his..."

Wyatt glanced over to see Rufus smirking, trying hard to keep from full out laughing at the exchange earlier.

Flynn crossed his arms, clearly over the situation. "Can we get back to the task at hand?"

Lucy nodded as they meandered their way across the base. "We need to find out what Rittenhouse or Bloodstone are doing here..."

"What would they succeed in doing here anyways?" Rufus questioned. "Do you think they're trying to shift the tides of war so the Japanese win?"

Lucy thought for a moment. "I'm not sure that would benefit anyone to be honest." They stopped near the airstrip. "I'm not even sure that's the reason for them being here."

Flynn's eyes narrowed as he stared off into the distance. "We could always ask the sleeper."

The three glanced up to look at Flynn before turning their attention across the yard to where he had been staring. Their eyes landed on a man who seemed to be tinkering with one of the planes.

"Are you sure that's the sleeper?" Rufus asked. "I mean, they did say they needed to be refitted earlier."

"If that were the case, why does he seem to be nervously glancing around," Flynn pointed out. "Almost as though he's afraid of being caught."

Wyatt watched as the man behaved suspiciously, just as Flynn had stated. He started to walk across the strip. "Why don't we ask him?"

As the team made their way across the airstrip, MPs on the other side of the strip also saw the suspicious man. Whistles blew as they started towards the man.

The nervous man bolted from the plane he had been tinkering on. Wyatt and Flynn ran after him. Lucy and Rufus approached the plane that the man had been working on.

Rufus bent down to look over the plane. He scoffed. "What the-"

"What is it?" Lucy asked, trying to see what he could.

Rufus muttered, "That guy was sabotaging the plane."

"What!?" Lucy asked, shocked.

MPs joined the two of them, guns aimed in their direction. "Step away from the plane!"

The two raised their hands to show that they meant no harm. Rufus stated, "That guy was sabotaging this plane. I can fix it-"

"You're both under arrest," the lead MP stated. His comrades began to handcuff the two.

"Wait," Lucy tried to say. "Get a mechanic out here to look at the plane-"

The MP ordered, "No talking! Let's go."

Lucy stared at the plane one last time over her shoulder. The name painted on the side said 'Barbara'.

The team and the sleeper were tied to tree trunks while armed men watched over them. The 'base' had lacked a proper jail and this had been the solution given their situation.

The team eyed the sleeper. He seemed shaken, almost afraid that he had been caught. Lucy noticed that the man was young, like most of the men on base.

Wyatt glared at the sleeper. He asked, "What are you doing here?" The sleeper avoided his gaze. When he didn't answer, Wyatt asked, "Are you Rittenhouse or Bloodstone?"

The man lifted his eyes briefly, but still remained quiet.

Rufus muttered, "Has to be Rittenhouse."

Flynn glanced over to see Lucy deep in thought. He asked quietly, "What are you thinking?"

She blinked out of her daze. "I'm trying to think about why he was targeting _that_ plane..."

Flynn's eyes followed the soldiers guarding them. He began to observe the surrounding area, trying to formulate a plan of action in his mind for when the opportune moment presented itself.

After a few minutes of silence, a couple of the pilots and one of the field mechanics appeared before the guards. No one could hear what was being said, but soon afterward, the guards began to release Rufus.

"What's going on?" Rufus asked, voice rising in apparent fear.

Lucy asked, "Where are you taking him?"

The guards motioned to the pilots. "They require your assistance."

"Really?" Rufus asked, confused. He glanced back to his friends. "I...uh..."

"Let's go," one of the pilots ordered.

Rufus shot the team one final glance before being escorted away. As they walked away from the makeshift jail, Rufus asked, "What's going on?"

"One of the MPs heard you say that you could fix our planes," one of them stated. "So, we need you to do what you're best at."

"What about my friends?" Rufus asked. "They're innocent in all of this...in fact, they tried to stop that man from doing more damage to the planes."

"Plane," one of them stated, turning towards Rufus. "If you manage to fix our plane, we will help get your friends released."

"And if I can't fix it?" Rufus asked.

The pilot's eyes narrowed at him. "You don't want to know what we'll do to you."

"Stop being a jerk," another pilot said. "It's my plane that's been tampered with anyways."

Rufus glanced over to see a very tall and lanky man standing nearby. They continued towards the airstrip. When they arrived to the plane, the lanky man bent down, motioning for Rufus to take a look. "I've never seen a thing like it before."

Rufus peered into the panel to see a modern day bomb underneath. He sighed heavily. "Well...crap..."

"What's the matter?" the owner of the plane asked.

Rufus couldn't tear his eyes off of the bomb. "You said that this was the only plane that had been tampered with?"

"That's right," the man stated. "Why? What is it?"

Rufus blew a shaky breath out. "That's a bomb..."

"What?" the man gasped. "Can you disarm it?"

"I...can try?" Rufus replied, unsure. "It would be nice to have my friends to help-"

"How will they be able to help?" the man asked. "I mean no disrespect, but...isn't defusing a bomb sort of a one man operation?"

"Uh," Rufus began. "Sure...but I need a second opinion."

The pilot didn't seem to buy what Rufus had been saying. Instead of arguing with him, the pilot glanced over his shoulder and said, "Go get his friends...but not the one that caused this trouble to begin with!"

The men surrounding them had left. Rufus said, "I'm Rufus."

"Skin," the man replied.

Rufus's brows knitted together. "Skin?" he repeated, seemingly disturbed.

The man chuckled. "I know, it's not the most glamorous nickname," the man laughed. "But, it's because of my build."

Rufus blinked at him. "Sure...okay...What's your first name?"

"George," he replied. "Does that make it better?"

Rufus chuckled. "Absolutely. Yes." He peered back under the plane. "I'll need some tools-"

"I'll snag some for you," George stated. "I'll be back soon."

Rufus shook his head as he continued to study the bomb. It would take some careful tweaking, but he'd be able to remove it. He just needed to take his time, hoping that it didn't blow him up in the process.

The team were released from their binds and were escorted to where Rufus had started to work on removing the bomb. When they arrived, Lucy turned to George. She was trying to figure out who he was and why Rittenhouse would be targeting him.

George had been watching Rufus until he felt Lucy staring at him. He turned his gaze over to her, offering a small, yet awkward smile. "What?"

"Sorry?" she asked.

"You're staring at me," George pointed out.

"Oh," she interjected. "I'm so sorry-"

"She has a tendency to do that," Wyatt chimed in with a smile and wink for Lucy. "Just ignore her."

Lucy rolled her eyes. She turned back to George. "I was just curious about the name of your plane." She motioned at the beautiful script writing on the side of the plane.

George's smile widened as he looked at the name. "Barbara..." he turned towards Lucy and added, "She's the love of my life." His cheeks reddened slightly as he admitted, "We plan on marrying in the new year."

Lucy's lips twitched for a second. She swallowed her nerves and asked, "How did you two meet?"

He chuckled as he thought about that day. "We met at a dance at a country club back home in Connecticut before I was shipped out."

Lucy's face faltered as though she had finally figured out who George was. She glanced over at the team. Rufus and Wyatt were still working on the plane. Flynn noticed the change in her expression and tilted his head at her as he approached.

"Can I have a word with you?" Flynn asked.

George glanced between the two and stated, "Please stay. I have to meet my commanding officer anyways. I'll return shortly."

The team nodded as they watched him walk away. Once George was out of hearing range, the team turned towards Lucy.

"I finally know why we're here," she stated. She turned her gaze back to the retreating figure of George. "That's George Bush," she told them. "He's going to be the 41st president."

"Why would Rittenhouse target him?" Wyatt asked.

Lucy shook her head. "I don't know...maybe it's another JFK situation?" She inhaled slowly, thinking. "Maybe they want someone else in that position during those years to help them better plan for whatever it is that they're trying to accomplish?"

"But," Rufus began. "Why go to all of the trouble of placing a bomb on his plane?"

Lucy mulled the question over. Suddenly, her face lit up with realization. "I almost forgot..."

"What?" Wyatt pressed her.

She lifted her eyes to look at the team. "In a couple of days, his squadron leaves to begin their assault on the Japanese installments on Chichijima. Even thought the mission is successful, a couple of the planes are hit and they crash a few miles from the island. Those who swam to shore were captured, tortured, executed, and the Japanese ate them."

Rufus shuddered. "This is all a bit too Hannibal Lector for me."

Lucy ignored his comment and continued, "He landed further away from the island than the rest, but the Japanese still tried to capture him. He's protected by the rest of the squadron until he's picked up by a submarine...he's the only one to survive that."

"So," Wyatt began, turning back to the plane. "Rittenhouse is hoping to force him down on the island by blowing up his plane?"

"It's possible," Lucy admitted.

With a heavy sigh, Wyatt stated, "Then we better get this thing off quickly."

Rufus and Wyatt returned to the task of removing the bomb. Lucy turned her gaze back at Flynn. He asked, "Are you planning on telling him?"

When Lucy didn't say anything, Flynn had his answer.


	45. Threat Assessment

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. Things got crazy this week.**

 **Thank you all for the PMs, likes/follows, reviews. It means a lot to me. I appreciate it.**

 **Here's the next. Enjoy.**

* * *

After a few hours, Rufus and Wyatt had successfully removed and disarmed the bomb from George's plane. By the time George had returned, the team had finished up.

"Well?" he asked. "Were you able to do it?"

"Your plane is as good as new," Rufus replied.

George extended his hand towards them. "Thank you," he said, shaking their hands. "I appreciate your help. I still can't understand why someone would do this."

Lucy sighed. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

George turned to her. "Of course."

"I know that I'm going to sound crazy," she started. "But... if you end up getting hit, stay away from the islands."

George's brows knitted together. "You're right," he admitted. "You do sound crazy."

"I mean it," she said. "Don't swim towards the islands...it's not safe."

He held her concerned gaze. He didn't have a chance to reply before they were interrupted. "Skin!" one of the other pilots shouted at him.

Walking up to them had been the group of pilots from earlier. "Where've you been?" one of them asked.

"I had some trouble with the plane," he stated simply. "What's going on?"

"We're being assembled for our next mission," the man stated. "We better get moving before we get a tongue lashing from the CO."  
George turned back to the team, nodding his thanks. His eyes lingered on Lucy's concerned expression for a moment before heading out with his squadron.

Lucy watched him leave with the others. She hoped that he would listen to her warnings.

Flynn asked, "What do you want to do about the sleeper?"

Lucy had almost forgotten about him. Wyatt quickly interjected, "Leave him here while we go home."

Flynn gritted his teeth, turning to Wyatt. "And what's to stop him from doing something else to George the moment we leave?"

"You said he's going to be leaving soon, right?" Wyatt questioned. Lucy nodded. He said, "So, we wait until he leaves-"

"That's still two days from now," Lucy pointed out.  
Rufus shook his head. "I don't really want to stick around here for longer than I need to," he stated.

Wyatt sighed. "So, what? What do you want to do?"

Flynn gave a half shrug as he stated, "We take him out like we do every other time. Make sure that he's no longer a threat and then we can go home."

"What if there's more than one sleeper?" Lucy asked. She saw the frustrated gazes from the others. "We need to be certain that he's safe-"

"Fine," Wyatt replied, cutting her off. "Let's go talk to him. See what he knows."

"Like he's going to tell us the truth?" Rufus muttered.

They began to make their way towards the makeshift jail. They hoped they'd be able to talk to the sleeper and get answers.

The team walked around the corner, nearing the place where the sleeper had been held. Wyatt stopped them as they watched four men attacking and killing the guards to the jail. The four suited men turned their attention to the tied up sleeper. One of them stood before him as the two exchanged words.

It came as a complete shock to everyone when the suited man fired his weapon at the sleeper. The team quickly hunkered down to avoid being seen. They watched in horror as the four turned and walked away from the scene.

"What the hell just happened?" Rufus asked, stunned.

The team couldn't help but stare at the scene before them. Wyatt shook his head asked, "Why would they kill their sleeper?"

"You're assuming that man was one of theirs," Flynn pointed out.

When the other three glanced over at him, their eyes were wide. "You're saying-" Lucy started.

Flynn nodded. "We've been told by Rittenhouse for how long now that they're at odds with Bloodstone." He motioned towards the dead and added, "This sort of proves that point, doesn't it?"

Wyatt sighed. "What would they gain from doing this now?"

"As opposed to when?" Flynn questioned. "If your target was tied up in a prison, would you think there'd be a better opportunity to eliminate them?"

Wyatt knew that Flynn had a point. There was no denying the truth behind his words. He glanced at the team. "So, what now?"

"We go home," Flynn suggested. "We inform Agent Christopher what took place here. We need to see if she's made any progress with her searches."

Rufus scoffed. "She hasn't yet."

Flynn gritted his teeth as they began to make the trek back to the Lifeboat. He knew Rufus was telling the truth and it bothered him that this entire time, nothing had cropped up with their inquiries within Homeland Security. Deep down, he knew something had to have come up, but he wanted to know why nothing had been said yet.

 **Present Day**

The moment the hatch to the Lifeboat opened, Lucy began her descent down the ladder. She glanced at Agent Christopher and asked, "Who was the 41st President?"

Denise furrowed her brow at the historian. "George Bush Sr." When Lucy exhaled a breath of relief, Denise asked, "What's going on?"

Lucy explained what had happened on this mission. When it got to the part regarding the sleeper and the Bloodstone men, Wyatt took over the explanation. Agent Christopher seemed confused, much like the team had been when it happened.

Flynn asked, "Please tell me that you've discovered something in your search?"

Denise sighed. "We're still sorting through all of the names that were flagged under 'Reynolds'. Turns out there's quite a few."

Flynn ran a hand through his hair, clearly agitated. Tenley asked, "Did you have this much trouble finding information on Rittenhouse?" All eyes in the room turned to the doctor. She shifted uncomfortably in her place. She thought it was a normal question to ask.

Agent Christopher shook her head, admitting, "Not nearly as much trouble as Bloodstone has been-"

"Maybe there's a reason for that," Flynn interrupted her. His eyes turned and landed on Tenley. He glanced over to Agent Christopher. "It could be that the mole we have in our midst is actually working in Homeland Security."

Denise's face seemed almost shocked that he would suggest such a thought, but didn't say anything. The fact remained that they simply didn't know and anything could be the truth at this moment.

Later that evening, the team took the much needed time to relax and recover from the mission. Jiya had suggested a games night since they hadn't had one in a while. Despite their energy levels, the team agreed to unwind together.

Denise had left for home, thinking long and hard about what Flynn had suggested. She wasn't sure that the mole was on the team, but she wasn't entirely convinced that the mole wasn't in Homeland Security. The more she thought about it, the more concerned she became. She hated to admit it, but it made more sense if they were in Homeland.

She struggled to think over the people who worked in her department. She went through each and every member that she could think of on the long drive home. There had been individuals that she wasn't fond of, but she couldn't see any of them doing something like this. She simply couldn't see any of them working for the enemy. She didn't know what they would gain for joining forces with Bloodstone.

The more she thought about how easy it had been to obtain information and resources against Rittenhouse but struggled to get anything on Bloodstone, she realized that Flynn was right. Someone had to be controlling the flow of information to her. She had to think of who she would be able to discuss her theories with.

Denise pulled into her driveway. After she parked her car, she spotted another vehicle parked in front of the house. She narrowed her eyes at it as she entered the house.

Sitting in the living room, Denise spotted Michelle having a conversation with Owen and Ann. The moment the front door opened, all eyes turned to her entrance. She forced a polite smile as she exchanged greetings with their guests.

"Lovely to see you both again," she said, as pleasantly as she could.

"And you as well!" Ann said excitedly. "Will you join us?"

Denise kept the smile on her face. "I would love to," she replied. "Please give me just a moment. I'll be back in a moment."

Denise excused herself to the other room. She could hear her wife's footsteps following behind her. When they were in the other room, she turned to face Michelle. "What are they doing here?" she asked quietly. "I thought you didn't want to be associated with them anymore?"

Michelle raised an eyebrow at her. "I know that they aren't our favorite people, but I had no choice tonight."

Denise furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

"It's a work thing," Michelle stated. "Unfortunately, we have been paired to work together on the upcoming fundraiser at the college. I didn't exactly have much choice."

"That explains why she's here," Denise admitted. "What's he doing here?"

Michelle blinked at the question. "He's a sponsor." Denise scoffed, rubbing her temple with her fingers. Michelle asked, "Are you all right?"

"I'm just stressed," Denise admitted. "I was hoping for a quiet evening with you."

Michelle nodded, understanding. "I'm sorry. I should have warned you-"

"It's all right," Denise said. "I can be civil for a couple of hours." She forced a smile to ease her wife's mind. Michelle gave her a quick peck on the cheek before heading back into the living room with their awaiting guests.

Denise reached for a wine glass and filled it to the rim. Quickly, she gulped a large quantity before entering the living room.

Back in the bunker, Flynn helped carry the boxes of games back to the infirmary for Tenley. She took the boxes from his arms and set them onto the ground.

"You've gotten lax on cursing people in Dominion," Tenley joked.

Flynn smirked as he held her gaze. "Are you sure about that?" She held his stare, slightly confused. "You saw me buying the cards."

"Yes, but you didn't use any of them," she recalled.

"I didn't use them because you were losing," he admitted.

Tenley's eyes widened. "You threw the game because I was losing?"

He smiled at her. "You should know by now that I'm very good at that game."

She blinked at him. "I can't believe you threw the game-"

"You're welcome," he joked.

She laughed. "I don't even know what to say to this..."

He pulled her into his arms, embracing her. "You could say thank you."

She wrapped her arms around him, laying her head against his shoulder. "Thanks?" she started to say. She pulled away from him and added, "Next time though, don't let me win."

He smirked. "Fair enough."

Before they had a chance to do or say anything else, the bunker alarms began to sound. Quickly, they rushed down the corridors to the main area.

Sitting in the chair before the computer, Jiya announced, "New York, March 13, 1895."

Tenley tilted her head. "Didn't we already go back to 1895?"

Flynn nodded. "Mata Hari."

"How can they be back in that year when we already went back-" Tenley couldn't finish her sentence in time.

Mason explained, "Different months. Mata Hari was in the summer. This is March." He turned to Tenley. "As long as we are in and out before the summer begins, everything should be fine."

"So," Wyatt asked, turning to Lucy. "March, 1895, New York. What happened?"

Lucy thought for a moment. Before she had a chance to answer, Mason stated, "Nikola Tesla's lab burned to the ground. He lost a lot of research, plans, photographs, and experiment notes." He turned to the team and added, "It's about this time when he had been said to have traveled through time after an experimental failure."

Rufus's mouth fell open. "Tesla? Seriously?"

Mason tilted his head. "Who do you think came up with the theory that I studied before this?" He motioned to the Lifeboat.

Lucy and Wyatt exchanged glances. Wyatt cleared his throat. "I think you should come with us, Mason."

Mason paled. "I really couldn't."

"You're the one who knows Tesla and his role here," Lucy stated. "Besides, this feels like another situation where Bloodstone is trying to take you out of the picture." She motioned to Tenley. "Much like they've tried to do with Tenley."

Mason turned to the doctor before asking, "Why would they be targeting me?"

"Maybe it's not you," Flynn admitted. "If they stop Tesla from experiencing time travel, he won't come up with the theory that you study."

"No theory, no machine," Wyatt said, connecting the dots for Mason. "They're trying to stop you from building the machines to take us out of the equation."

"If I don't build the machine, then they also lose out on the machine," Mason said.

Wyatt shook his head. "Unfortunately, they'd still have the Mothership as well as the knowledge to build a new one."

Lucy sighed. "I think Wyatt has a point," she said. "You need to come with us."

Mason wanted to protest, but Wyatt stated, "We're running out of time. We have to go." He turned to Flynn. "Mind if you sit this one out?"

Flynn lifted his hands defensively. "If you want to play the hero this time, have fun."

Wyatt rolled his eyes, motioning to Mason to follow the team into the Lifeboat. Much to his chagrin, Mason climbed into his machine, ready to travel backwards through time to meet his idol.


	46. Time Drift

**A/N: Thank you Liza for your review. I appreciate it. Here's the next chapter; enjoy.**

* * *

 **New York**

 **March 13, 1895**

The team, dressed in appropriate clothing, walked together down the boulevard of New York's Fifth Avenue. Wyatt asked, "So, how much time are we talking about before the fire takes place?"

Mason shrugged. "It's hard to say," he explained. "All I remember is that he had been working on several experiments but lost it all in that fire."

Lucy nodded, chiming in, "They said that it started in the basement but it spread so quickly that it engulfed the whole building. His lab was set up on the fourth floor. It came crashing down into the second floor."

"That's one hell of a fire," Rufus commented.

"Okay," Wyatt began. "So, it burns fast...which building is it?"

Rufus, Lucy, and Wyatt had continued walking, but Mason had stopped dead in his tracks. When the other three noticed that he wasn't behind them anymore, they turned to address him.

Mason's eyes were glued to the people across the street at a cafe on the corner. Wyatt turned his attention back to Mason. "What's up?" he asked.

Mason raised his eyebrows momentarily. "That's him...In the flesh..."

The three turned back to the cafe's crowd. Lucy's smile started to form across her lips as she finally saw who Mason was seeing.

Sitting at a table in front of the cafe had been Nikola Tesla. He sat there, staring off into space, seemingly distracted. A couple of people had tried to speak to him, but he didn't seem to hear them. Whatever was on his mind seemed to take up all of his attention.

Wyatt nudged Mason. "Let's go talk to him."

"What? Now?" Mason asked. "I don't think that's-"

"It's why were here," Wyatt reminded him. "All you have to do is start talking to him."

Hesitatingly, Mason started over towards him. Just as he neared the famed inventor, another man stopped at his table. Mason paused for a moment, listening in to their conversation.

"Mr. Tesla?" the man began. "Are you all right, sir?"

Tesla blinked up at the man. "I'm sorry, but I'm not very pleasant company to be around right now."

"Why is that, sir?" the man asked, sitting down at the table without an invitation.

"I almost died today," Tesla admitted. He still seemed almost shaken.

"What happened?" the man asked, pulling out a small notebook from his coat pocket.

Tesla glanced down at the paper, sighing. "Reporter?"

The man nodded. "I hope that's not a problem?"

Tesla sighed again, running a hand through his hair. "If it had not been for my assistant, I would have been killed today," he continued. "He had shut off the experiment that had sent a three foot spark of electricity at me."

"Oh my!" the reporter gasped. "That sounds quite horrific!"

Tesla held the man's stare. "I'm sorry, but I'm just not interested in speaking any more about this."

"Of course," the reporter stated, standing up from the table. He continued scribbling the notes into his notebook before leaving.

Mason watched the reporter for a moment before stepping towards Tesla. "Mr. Tesla?"

Tesla slammed his fist on the table. "What now?"

"Sorry to disturb you, sir," Mason replied. "I overheard part of your story to that reporter."

"Then you should have heard that I am no longer interested in speaking about the matter," Tesla spat, standing up from the table. "Excuse me."

Mason followed the inventor. "Sir? I have been studying your work for as long as I can remember-"

Tesla whirled around, eyebrow raised at him. "Who sent you? Edison?"

Mason raised his hands defensively. "I'm not working for Edison."

Tesla stood up straight, standing a foot from Mason. "Who are you working for?"

"Myself," Mason replied. When Tesla seemed confused, Mason continued. "I'm familiar with your work. I've learned a lot from you."

"Seems surprising with a man of your...status," Tesla admitted before turning to continue down the lane. Mason fell in line with him, the other three trailing nearby.

"You told that reporter that you had an accident," Mason recalled. "Which incident was it?"

"You have a way of saying things that makes me believe that you know what is coming before it happens," Tesla stated, stopping in front of a tall brownstone building. He turned to face Mason and the team. "I see you brought friends."

Mason glanced over his shoulder, making the introductions. When he finished, he turned his attention back to the inventor. "We want to help you."

"Help me?" he repeated. "With what, pray tell?"

"Whatever you need-" Mason was interrupted.

"I will tell you what I told the others," he began. "I don't need help from anyone. Now if you'll excuse me-"

Wyatt chimed in. "Hold on, you said the others? What others?"

"A woman with brown hair and three men," Tesla recalled. "They too wanted to help me. I refused them as I am with you."

Lucy asked, "Where did these people go afterwards?"

"I don't care," Tesla admitted. "As long as it's far away from me."

Mason realized that Tesla was about to enter the building, refusing to allow them to enter. He quickly asked, "Was your accident this morning due to your experiment with resonance from the electromagnetic charge?"

Tesla halted suddenly. He turned around to face the team, glancing about the area, hoping no one had heard. "How do you know that?"

"Like I said before," Mason said quietly. "I'm a fan of your work. We _can_ help you."

Tesla held Mason's stare for a moment, clearly debating whether or not he wanted to trust the team. Eventually, he nodded, allowing the team to enter the building behind him.

The team followed Tesla into a sitting room, which seemed rather bare. Tesla motioned to the few chairs inside for the team to sit down. "It's true what you said about my accident," Tesla began. "I was in contact with the resonance from the electromagnetic charge when the three foot spark struck me." He paused for a moment, recalling the details. "I went out of space and time...I was able to see the past, present, and the future all at the same time. It paralyzed me. Had it not been for my assistant who shut the machine down, I would have been severely and permanently damaged, if not killed by it."

"What did you see?" Mason asked, clearly enthralled by what he was being told.

"Many things," Tesla admitted, that distant look in his eyes forming again. "Some horrible things, some pleasant...but the buildings were very much the same, yet different."

"What do you think the others wanted from you?" Wyatt asked.

Tesla blinked back into reality. "I don't know, but I thought they worked for Edison. He's always been trying to outdo my work. He hasn't a clue to my latest discoveries!"

"Which are?" Wyatt pushed.

Tesla narrowed his eyes at Wyatt. "I don't like you."

"He doesn't mean to be disrespectful," Lucy quickly interjected. Tesla turned his gaze over to her. She added, "He's our security."

"Security?" Tesla repeated. "What for?"

"Against Edison," Lucy lied. "Much like you, Connor Mason here, has a vast array of knowledge that he's looking for."

Tesla blinked back over to Mason. "Such as?"

Mason cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably. "Well...I mean, I don't want to be mocked-"

Tesla laughed. "I just explained to you that I thought I saw three different time periods and you think I'll laugh you out of the building?"

"It's happened before," Mason admitted. The team happened to see the sincerity behind Mason's tone. They knew he meant it.

Tesla motioned for him to follow him. "I'll show you what I've been working on," he offered. "Perhaps by showing you my work, you will share yours."

Mason eagerly followed him into the other room. They entered a large library with papers strewn across the numerous tables and desks inside.

Tesla admitted, "I've been working on several projects at one time. I find that it helps keep my mind centered."

"Seems backwards," Rufus muttered, glancing down at the papers.

One of the papers on the desk had caught Mason's attention. He picked up the blueprints and examined them. Written on the top of the blueprint were the words _Time Machine_.

"Ah that," Tesla remarked, knowing what Mason was looking at. "That is part of the project I was experimenting with when I had my recent accident."

Mason couldn't tear his eyes off of the paper. He studied the words and diagrams written on it. It was seemingly identical to what he had done with the Mothership and Lifeboat - even the sketch of the machine itself seemed identical.

Rufus peered over Mason's shoulder to see. "That looks just like-"

Mason cleared his throat, silencing Rufus. He placed the blueprint back onto the desk. "Looks promising."

"Perhaps," Tesla said with a shrug. "There is still a lot of work to be done before it is operational."

"The mathematics work," Mason replied.

Tesla laughed. "Tell that to the people who showed up the other day."

Wyatt tilted his head slightly. "What do you mean?"

"They tried to tell me that the mathematics were wrong and offered to take the blueprints with them to fix," the inventor stated. "Clearly I told them that would never happen."

The team exchanged glances. Wyatt asked, "Were these people dressed in suits?"

Tesla smirked. "Such an odd question to ask, but yes," he admitted. "They were dressed in the same awful black suit." When he noticed the teams' worried glances, he asked, "What is it?"

"They're dangerous people," Rufus stated. "You were smart not telling them anything."

"Dangerous how?" Tesla asked. He waved the question aside. "Never mind, it is not important." He checked his pocket watch and asked, "Are you hungry?" He motioned for the team to follow him into a room nearby.

Inside the room was a table with food already prepared and placed before the chairs. Tesla sat down, motioning to the others to join him.

"I normally dine alone," he admitted. "However since you are here, I figured that we could continue the conversation regarding your work, sir."

The team sat down and noticed the food that sat before Tesla. There was a small loaf of bread, glass of milk, a small square of a honeycomb, and small glasses of vegetable juices.

Sitting before the rest of the team were plates with actual vegetables, breads, and spreads. Wyatt glanced up at Lucy who just shrugged as she tried some of the food.

"Now then," Tesla began. "You said that you have been following my work. I'm curious to see what your thoughts are on my calculations."

 **Present Day**

Agent Christopher sighed as she sat at the table in the main living area. She stared at the computer screen that shone in her face. On the screen, she scrolled through numerous documents from Homeland Security's files.

Jiya walked around the corner to see that she still remained where she was hours ago. "Working hard?"

Christopher glanced up at her. "Something like that."

Jiya poured two cups of coffee and approached Denise with them. She extended one of the mugs towards her. "Here," she offered. "You seem like you need the pick-me up."

"Who made this?" she asked, hesitating to take the cup.

"Flynn," Jiya admitted. "You won't be disappointed, I promise."

Sighing, Denise took the mug of hot coffee from Jiya. She could instantly smell the subtle notes of chocolate. She sipped it gingerly, tasting the flavors that mimicked the smell. "This _is_ good."

Jiya smiled, nodding. "He makes good coffee but don't ask him how he does it because he'll never tell you." Denise set the mug down and turned back to the screen. Jiya lingered. "What are you working on?"

"I'm trying to find a needle in a haystack that sits in the middle of a desert," Denise admitted, rubbing her temples.

"That good?" Jiya said with a smirk. She leaned over the back of the chair Agent Christopher sat in to see what she was looking at. "Do you need any help?"

"Maybe," Agent Christopher admitted. Jiya pulled up a chair and grabbed a file from the large stack sitting in the middle of the table. She flipped it open as Agent Christopher continued, "I'm trying to find anything on the name 'Reynolds'."

"The same one that Jack and Poe warned us about?" Jiya asked.

Denise nodded. "That's the one," she admitted. "However it's easier said than done, I'm afraid. I haven't been able to find anything relevant."

"What if Reynolds is an alias?" Jiya mused. "What if there's no one by that name and we're running in circles?"

"If that's the case," Denise began. "Then I'm afraid that we don't have a leg to stand on. That's our only lead here."

Jiya sighed. "Well, I guess I'll start reading and see what we can find."

The two continued to read through the folders that sat on the table.

Down the hall in the infirmary, Tenley had been instructing Flynn how to perform simple tasks within the medical field. She had started by teaching him how to dress wounds before she moved him forward with stitching wounds. They practiced on fruit from the kitchen.

Tenley sat at the table with a stopwatch as she timed Flynn's ability to stitch up a banana. Occasionally, she would glance up from the watch to observe his technique. He had surprised her with how quickly he had picked it up.

"Done," he announced, setting everything down on the table. She clicked the stopwatch and he asked, "How'd I do?"

"Hold your horses," she stated, pulling the banana over to study it. She examined the fruit before saying, "You're getting better. I'm impressed. Are you sure that you never had training before?"

He shook his head, smiling. "I used to watch a lot of ER back in the day." She smirked, setting the stopwatch down. He asked, "What's next on the syllabus, Nine?"

She shrugged. "I don't think I have much else to teach you right now."

"Nothing for extra credit?" he asked, suggestively. She chuckled, rolling her eyes at him.

Before they had a chance to say anything more, the bunker alarms sounded. They blinked at each other, stunned to be hearing the alarms already. The two rushed to the main living area where Jiya and Agent Christopher were watching with anticipation.

"Is it them?" Tenley asked upon approach.

Just as Jiya was about to hop up to the computer, the Lifeboat landed before them. They studied the Lifeboat carefully. It looked similar to theirs, but it wasn't theirs. This one seemed rougher around the edges, almost as though it had been through Hell and back.

Flynn pulled Tenley behind him, afraid that they were going to have to fight whoever showed up. The hatch opened slowly and an older and graying Rufus stepped out. Everyone blinked up at him.

He glanced down at everyone, smiling warmly at them. "Man, y'all were young!"

The four stared up at the older Rufus with wide eyes and open mouths. Agent Christopher asked, "Rufus?"

Future Rufus smiled at her. "It's been a while, Denise. It's good to see you," he said. He turned his attention to Jiya. Tears formed in his eyes as he gazed at her. "Jiya...oh..."

Jiya shifted awkwardly before him. "Are you all right?"

"Give me a moment," he whispered, still staring at her. After a brief moment, he closed the gap and hugged Jiya. His tears fell from his eyes, sighing as he held her close. When he forced himself away from her, he apologized. "I'm sorry," he said. "It's just been a very long time since I-"

His words trailed off. "Since...?" Jiya asked, almost afraid of knowing the answer.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that," he stated. "I've already said too much now."

"Why are you here?" Denise asked.

Future Rufus stated, "This was the only time I had to come back to. The only time that made sense."

"What are you talking about?" Jiya questioned.

"Something horrible is coming," he announced. "If they find out that I came here, they're going to be quite cross with me."

"Who?" Denise pushed. "Who will be angry with you?"

Future Rufus stated, "Wyatt and Lucy."


	47. The Future By Its Throat

**A/N: Sorry for the missed update last week. I was out of town for a family emergency. Here is the next chapter. Thank you, everyone, for your reads, reviews, and messages. I appreciate it.**

* * *

 **1895**

As Mason and Tesla continued their lengthy conversation regarding time travel, Wyatt, Rufus, and Lucy huddled near the opposite end of the room. Wyatt asked, "Any ideas where they might have gone?"

Lucy shook her head. "If they are Bloodstone, they could be anywhere."

"When does this fire start?" he asked.

"From that, I remember," she started. "It is lit in the basement of this building and it spreads quickly."

"Great," Wyatt remarked. "Let's get to the basement and cut them off at the start."

Rufus's eyes widened. "Are you sure that's wise?"

"What else do we have to do?" Wyatt stated, motioning towards the two on the other side. "Those two are going to be going at it all night."

Lucy sighed. "We can't leave them here."

"Fine," Wyatt began. "You stay here and force them to leave if you hear the smoke alarms."

Rufus glanced between the two. "Seriously? That's your plan?"

"Do you have a better one?" Wyatt asked.

Rufus scoffed. "How about not getting snippy with your pilot?"

"Sorry," Wyatt replied sincerely. "I just hate having to wait around when we know the danger's right there."

"Then go," Lucy suggested. "I'll wait here and try to get them out the door when it starts."

Rufus hesitated but followed Wyatt down the stairs towards the basement. Once Lucy was alone, she turned her attention back to the two men conversing on the opposite end of the room as they shared theories.

She realized just how thoroughly bored she was.

Wyatt and Rufus descended all the stairs until they reached the basement. Wyatt removed his gun from his holster under his coat and started to clear the room. Rufus followed close behind.

The basement had seen better days. Water stains littered the floors and walls. Rats crawled about the floor, hiding under the array of pipes as the two neared them.

Rufus asked, "Who do you think the woman with the Suits is?"

"What do you mean?" Wyatt asked as he continued clearing out the room.

"Well," Rufus began. "The last time we had encountered a female Bloodstone agent, it turned out to be Mata Hari."

Wyatt sighed, realizing what Rufus was saying. He hadn't given it much thought, but it made sense. He turned to reply to Rufus's comment when movement caught his attention.

"Watch out!" he shouted, pushing Rufus out of the way. Wyatt's push had come too late and the sound of a gun firing echoed loudly within the confines of the basement.

Rufus felt that familiar sear of hot pain coursing through his left shoulder. He slumped onto the dirty basement floor, clutching at his shoulder. Pulling his hand away from his shoulder, he glared at the red stain dripping at his palm.

Wyatt glanced over at Rufus before turning his attention back to the entrance of the basement. The person who had shot at them had disappeared. He knew that they had to still be inside the room. He needed to keep a strong eye out for the person responsible.

He whispered, "Are you okay?"

"They shot me!" Rufus muttered through the pain.

 **Present Day**

Future Rufus sat on the exam table and watched carefully as Tenley checked him. After confessing that Wyatt and Lucy - whether he meant the future versions of them or not, no one knew - he had clutched his chest. Tenley feared he was having a heart attack and brought him into the infirmary.

Future Rufus stared at Tenley as she gathered her stethoscope. She shifted uncomfortably in her place for a moment. Finally, she lifted her eyes to meet his. "What?"

He smirked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you nervous."

"Can you remove your shirt please?" she asked, gathering up her supplies to bring over. When she stopped beside his table, he had removed his shirt.

As Tenley started to listen to his heart, a scar started forming on his shoulder. Her mouth fell open as she watched it form. Future Rufus glanced down just as the scar finished forming.

"What the hell?" Tenley muttered, feeling the scar tissue that suddenly appeared.

Future Rufus replied, "I got shot on this mission."

"What? This one?" Tenley asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

He nodded. "I can't say much more than that."

"Does that happen often?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Sometimes whenever we come back to the past and you guys are off saving the day."

"How many times have you traveled back to our time?" she asked, moving the stethoscope to his back to listen to his lungs.

He breathed in and out a couple of times. "The last time..."

She looked at him, waiting. "The last time?"

He chuckled nervously. "I can't..."

"Then why did you come here?" a voice asked by the door.

When the two turned to see who had entered the room, their eyes landed on Flynn.

Future Rufus smirked. "Ah Flynn, how I've missed that brooding personality."

Tenley's brows knitted together quickly before turning to continue her examination.

Flynn stepped into the room, followed closely by Agent Christopher and Jiya. Flynn asked, "If you can't talk about why you're here, then why did you come back?"

Future Rufus sighed. "I had to make sure that you knew what dangers were coming-"

"Who is Reynolds?" Denise asked.

Future Rufus glanced up at her. "Someone close to you."

"To us?" Agent Christopher began.

Future Rufus shook his head. "Not the team - to _you_." He turned his gaze away from her to say, "I can't tell you any more than that."

"Why did you come back?" Flynn repeated his question.

Tenley passed his shirt back to him, which he took willingly. As he pulled it over his head, he stated, "I had to make sure that someone was safe." All eyes turned to Jiya. He shook his head. "Not Jiya..."

When he noticed the obvious hurt behind Jiya's expression, he added, "Unfortunately, there is someone else that I needed to make sure survived...the one person who is detrimental to our success in the future."

"But you can't tell us who that is?" Flynn scoffed.

Future Rufus shook his head, standing up from the table. "I've got to get back. They'll suspect something's wrong-"

"You mentioned that Wyatt and Lucy would be angry with you-" Denise tried to say.

He pushed by the team as he headed back towards his Lifeboat. "I'm sorry, I really shouldn't have come back-"

"Please!" Denise started. "We need your help!"

He reached the steps of the Lifeboat. He paused, turning back around. "I could destroy everything we have built in the future-"

"You've already done damage by coming back here," Flynn pointed out. "Might as well help us so we can help you in the future."

Future Rufus hesitated, eyes landing on Tenley. He swallowed before shaking his head. "I can't."

The team watched as the older Rufus climbed into his Lifeboat, but the hatch didn't close. He leaned out of the door and tossed a book towards the team. "Don't say that I never gave you anything."

Flynn caught the leather bound book before it hit the floor. When his eyes lifted, the hatch to the Lifeboat closed and the whirring began. The team stepped back just as the Lifeboat disappeared into thin air.

 **1895**

Rufus groaned as he struggled to sit up. "Do you see anyone?"

Wyatt shook his head as he peered through the pipes in the basement. "No, but they're still down here." He turned his attention back to Rufus's wound. "How are you doing?"

Rufus blinked a few times. "I'm still here..."

Wyatt gave him a curt nod. "Keep pressure on it. Don't fall asleep."

"Doing my best," he muttered in response.

Wyatt scanned the basement again, but his eyes stopped on the billowing smoke that wafted through the room. "Damn."

"What?" Rufus asked, struggling to sit up even more.

"They started the fire," he admitted. "I've got to put it out."

"And leave me here?" Rufus scoffed. "What if it's a trick?"

"What do you want me to do? Let us burn alive down here?"

"I want you to think before you rush out there."

"Rufus, I'm doing what I can here," Wyatt told him. "It's just me, remember?"

Rufus groaned, rolling his eyes.

Wyatt cautiously began to make his way towards the smoke to put the fire out. As he stepped into the thick smoke, his eyes landed on a small wastebasket. The contents inside were smoking profusely. The second he spotted a modern day smoke bomb, he whirled around instinctively.

Standing behind him was a woman dressed in a black suit aiming her gun in his face. "Drop your weapon," she told him.

Wyatt gritted his teeth as he slowly knelt down to place his gun onto the floor.

She held his gaze. "Kick it over here."

Wyatt's hands were raised defensively. He kicked his gun hard enough to slide across the floor to the general direction of Rufus. The woman's expression hardened as she smacked the butt of her gun across his face.

Stumbling to regain his balance, Wyatt could feel the small cut on his eyebrow from the blow. She didn't seem strong enough to land such a hit, but he realized that she was tougher than he had given her credit for.

Aiming her gun at him again, she ordered, "Stand up." He stood straight, showing her his full height. She didn't seem phased. "Let's go."

"Where?" he asked.

"You're going to introduce me to Tesla," she told him.

"And if I don't?"

"Then I'll shoot you here and now," she told him. "Makes no difference to me if I kill you alongside your friend."

Wyatt began to turn to make his way out of the basement, wondering why it was taking Rufus so long to find his gun and save him. He began to make the climb up the stairs with the woman following behind him.

He had recognized her but had been struggling to place why he knew her. He knew that if he were to survive this encounter, he had to start paying more attention to the people they met in their travels.

With each step they took, the closer they reached the fourth floor. "What are you looking for here?" Wyatt braved the question.

"None of your business," she told him gruffly.

Wyatt glanced over his shoulder quickly. "I'm just trying to understand what Bloodstone is hoping to accomplish here."

"You mention them one more time and I'll shoot you here and now."

Wyatt inhaled deeply, still climbing up the stairs. "Who are you?"

She sighed. "Shut up."

He stopped and turned to face her. "You don't have to do this."

She raised her gun to his face again. "If you don't turn around, I will kill you." He hesitated, tempting fate. He wasn't sure that she'd pull the trigger. She sucked her teeth before saying, "Your funeral. Give my regards to Rufus."

Just as Wyatt noticed her finger tightening around the trigger, he knocked her arm out of the way moments before the gun fired. He punched the woman's stomach, knocking her away. The gun fell down the stairs with a clank.

Wyatt stayed on the offensive with the woman. She recovered her footing and blocked his attacks. She managed to land a good blow on his jaw as he tried to block unsuccessfully.

Before Wyatt had a chance to strike her, she had pulled another gun out of her coat, aiming it at him. She pulled the trigger. The bullet skimmed Wyatt's side, bringing him to the ground.

The woman aimed her gun at Wyatt who remained on the floor, on his back. He raised his hands defensively, but the pure anger and hatred behind her dark eyes told him that she wasn't about to stop.

Her hands were steady as she started to squeeze the trigger. Wyatt's blue eyes flew shut as the sound of the gun going off echoed loudly throughout the stairwell.

Wyatt heard the sound of a body crumpling to the ground. He carefully opened his eyes to see Rufus leaning against the wall, clutching his bleeding shoulder. The body of the woman he had been fighting with laid on the stairs in a pool of blood. There was a large blood splatter on the wall next to her.

"Sorry, I'm late," Rufus groaned.

"Thanks for showing up," Wyatt replied, standing up. He checked the woman as he bent down next to her.

"Who was she?" Rufus asked, slowly approaching Wyatt.

The two stared at the woman's face. Wyatt studied the woman for a moment before he finally figured it out. He looked up at Rufus and asked, "What was the name of the woman who disappeared at Buffalo Bill's show?"

Another voice spoke behind them, further up the stairs, "Lillian Smith."

The two glanced up the stairs to see Lucy, Mason, and Tesla standing there, taking in the scene.

Lucy descended the stairs. Her eyes bounced back and forth between the two of them. "Are you guys all right?"

Wyatt stood up, nodding. "It's a graze for me, but Rufus..."

"I'm ready to go home now," Rufus admitted.

"And the fire?" she asked.

"Under control," Rufus replied.

"You're sure?" Mason asked.

Rufus nodded. "I took care of it."

"What about the others?" Lucy asked.

"She was the only one that we saw," Wyatt told her. "What is she doing here?"

"Probably another Mata Hari situation," Lucy replied, looking at the lifeless Lillian. "It's such a shame too..."

"Would someone please explain to me what is going on?" Tesla asked. "Who is that woman?"

Mason turned to him and began to explain as best as he could. Tesla seemed not to believe much of what he was hearing.

Just before the team started to leave, Mason turned to Tesla. "You're on the right track with your time traveling. Just make sure that you keep those plans secret for another few years."

Tesla smiled. "Until we have the proper conductors, that project will have to wait. I have a few other tricks up my sleeves that I need to focus on first."

Mason smiled. "Find a safe place for your blueprints and other work. Just because this fire didn't happen, doesn't mean another won't."  
Tesla nodded. "Good luck with your own research," he told him. "I promise to keep impeccable notes for you to use in your experiments."

Mason laughed, turning away from him. He joined the team as they descend the stairs to leave.

As they walked down the boulevard, Mason asked, "So who was Lillian Smith?"

Lucy sighed heavily. "She was Annie Oakley's rival. She disappeared when we went back to her time."

"Do you think it's safe to go home?" Mason asked. "Given the fact that there are other Bloodstone agents in the area?"

Wyatt held Rufus's arm over his shoulder. "We need to get back home," he admitted. "Rufus needs Tenley's help."

Mason hesitated. "I just worry that he's not safe."

Lucy knew that Mason had been referring to Tesla, but there seemed little more they could do. They had stopped the fire from happening and took care of one of the agents sent to stop Tesla. The other three could be anywhere, but they needed to focus on Rufus before he bled out.

Mason shook his head, unsatisfied with what they were about to do. He didn't want to go home yet. He wanted to make sure that Tesla and his abundance of notes, blueprints, and experiments were safe. He also didn't want Rufus to die on him. It pained him to choose.

 **Present Day**

No sooner did Future Rufus disappear from their timeline, did their team reappear. The Lifeboat hatch opened and the team started their exit. Tenley's eyes landed on Rufus. She didn't seem surprised in the slightest as she helped Wyatt bring him to the infirmary.

Without prompting, Tenley immediately set to work on fixing Rufus's wound. He asked, "How did you know?"

"Well," she began. "It's complicated." Her eyes turned to Wyatt and widened. "You were shot too?"

"Wait, why are you more concerned about him?" Rufus complained. "He's got a graze!"

"Sorry," she mumbled. "It's-"

"Complicated," Rufus repeated. "Yeah, okay."

After taking care of both wounded men, the team gathered back in the main living area to discuss what had occurred during the mission.

Lucy had been flipping through her history books, searching for information on Tesla. She placed the open book on the table and stated, "It looks like the fire happened anyways."

"What?" Mason asked. "After all that?"

She shrugged. "I don't think Bloodstone had anything to do with it though."

"How can you be so sure?" Mason countered.

She sighed. "Because he removed all of the documents from the building and kept them in a safety deposit box and the fire started three days later."

"So it all survived?" Mason asked, stunned.

She nodded. "There would appear to be several books on his experiments that he had been in the process of working on but never finished." She pointed to the opened page and stated, "There's the list, and if you look carefully, you'll see that 'time travel' is listed there too."

Mason snatched the book off the table and began reading it. He meandered over to the sofa, nose stuck in the book.

Wyatt cleared his throat, moving on from Tesla's updated information. "We ran into another Mata Hari situation."

"Meaning what?" Christopher asked.

"Meaning the people who Bloodstone kidnapped out of their timeline have been trained to kill us," Wyatt replied. "Lillian Smith had shot Rufus-"

"And you," Rufus muttered.

"And me," Wyatt added. "All for the purpose of stopping Tesla."

"Is that what she said?" Denise asked.

Wyatt shook his head. "She wouldn't go into the specifics, but how else are we to look at that?"

Agent Christopher crossed her arms. "We have another issue to discuss." The team looked at her and waited. She glanced over at the members who had been left behind before admitting, "Shortly before you returned, we had a visitor."

"Visitor?" Wyatt repeated. "What does that mean?"

"Another Lifeboat appeared," Agent Christopher told them.

Mason's head snapped up at the mention of another Lifeboat. "What?"

She nodded. "There was only one person inside." Her gaze drifted over to Rufus.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Me?" She gave him a quick nod and he asked, "Why me? Why is it _always_ me?"

Denise shrugged. "We don't know exactly why he came but he seemed nervous."

"Well, did he say anything helpful?" Wyatt began. "Like who Reynolds is and how to stop him?"

She shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. He seemed hesitant to share much of anything."

Jiya chimed in quickly, "But he did give us a journal."  
" _Another_ journal?" Rufus groaned. "How many journals do we need?"

"Have you read it?" Lucy asked.

Flynn crossed his arms. "Not yet. We wanted to discuss this together as a team."

Wyatt scoffed. "What the hell are we waiting for? Open it up."

Agent Christopher held a hand up to stop him. "Think about what it is that you're asking. The future Rufus seemed nervous about giving us any information regarding what was to come. We could be harming ourselves and changing the course of the future by reading his journal."

"If he didn't want us to read it, then why did he give it to us?" Wyatt questioned.

Rufus groaned as he shifted in his chair. "Maybe because I felt pressured?" All eyes turned towards him. A few sympathetic glances were tossed his way.

Flynn stated, "We need to make sure that whatever we do moving forward, we do it as a team. If we can't unite together now, we might cause whatever he was concerned about happening to happen."  
Wyatt rolled his eyes. "That's very Tolstoy of you."

Lucy seemed deep in thought for a moment before asking, "Did he say why he came back?"

Denise shook her head. "He said that he had to check and make sure that someone was safe."

"Who?" Lucy pushed.

Denise shook her head. "We don't know."

"Well," Jiya began. "We know it wasn't me."

The sympathetic glances shifted from Rufus to Jiya. She seemed disappointed still by the notion that Future Rufus didn't come back for her well-being.

"It couldn't have been any of us on the mission," Mason mused. "Or else he would have come at a different time."

Flynn nodded as he added, "He also said he couldn't stick around for long because Future Wyatt and Lucy would be angry with him."

"So..." Lucy began. "He must have meant either one of you three." She motioned to Denise, Tenley, and Flynn.

Denise stated, "He also said that Reynolds is someone close to me."

"Who?" Wyatt asked, perking up from this revelation.

She shook her head, shrugging slightly. "I'm not sure. I don't know anyone by that name."

"Which is why we need to read this damned journal!" Wyatt sighed. "All the answers could be written inside those pages!"

"And what happens if we don't like what we read?" Rufus started. "Remember how it was when I tried to prevent things that Jiya had been seeing in her visions? Does anyone remember how badly that turned out?"

The room fell silent as they recalled those days.

Finally, breaking the silence that fell upon them, Agent Christopher stated, "Let's not rush into a decision right now. We have the journal and it's not going anywhere. Let's get some sleep while we can. We'll discuss this another day."

With that, the team dispersed to their own corners of the bunker with much to reflect upon.


	48. Maiden in Black

**A/N: Thank you, Liza for your review. Thanks for sticking with me. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

The days drifted by slowly. There seemed to be a growing tension within the bunker. Jiya seemed to still be upset over Future Rufus's lack of concern for her well-being. She knew based on his long hug with her that something had happened to her in the future, but there had been nothing said about it. She didn't know if something happened to her regarding her visions or if it was something else. Not knowing had started to drive her mad.

It was the same way with Wyatt in regards to the journal. He didn't understand why they weren't cracking the book open to read all about what happens in the future. In his mind, they were given a gift to help them defeat Bloodstone and perhaps Rittenhouse as well as learn what mistakes to avoid while doing it. If it were up to him, he'd have memorized the book.

Rufus struggled to understand why he had come back in time to check up on anyone. The more he tried to understand his future self, the more confused he became. It was as though he was trying to understand a complete stranger - one that Mason pointed out was.

Agent Christopher had started compiling a list of people she believed to be 'close' to her in hopes of finding the person named 'Reynolds'. She struggled to make the connection that Future Rufus had insinuated.

It wasn't long before the alarms sounded within the bunkers again. The team assembled before the computer monitors, waiting for Jiya to inform them of the date.

Jiya typed madly at the computer as she announced, "April 30, 1947, New York."

Like clockwork, all eyes drifted over to Lucy. She seemed to be struggling to make the date work. She eventually shrugged. "I don't know..."

"Anyone of historical importance to be there?" Agent Christopher suggested, trying to help jog the historian's memory.

"I'm sorry, but I have nothing coming to mind," Lucy admitted.

Agent Christopher nodded slightly. "All right then. Be careful."

The normal team climbed into the Lifeboat while the others watched on. The machine whirred and disappeared from sight.

 **1947**

The team found themselves just outside of the city limits. The only building nearby had been the train depot. It was relatively early in the morning and not many people were out and about. The ones that were, didn't give them a second glance.

They sat down inside the train depot, trying to determine what brought Bloodstone or Rittenhouse to this time. Lucy had remained adamant that she had no earthly idea.

"What do you suggest we do?" Wyatt asked.

Lucy shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know why we're here. I'd hate for us to leave when we need to be here."

"Perhaps we should be looking for the sleepers?" Rufus mused out loud.

The team gave him a quick glance. Lucy reminded him, "That didn't work out so well during Tesla's time. We only ever found Lillian Smith and none of her counterparts."

Flynn nodded slightly in agreement. There'd be no way for them to track down the sleepers when they didn't even know where to begin their search. In the past, the dates made sense - they had a clear direction as to the why, but not here.

Lucy scanned the slowly growing crowds in the train terminal. None of the people walking by seemed to impact her senses in any way. Until she saw one woman in particular leave the ticket counter.

Lucy grasped Wyatt's forearm. "Look!"

The team glanced over to where she had been looking. The woman walking by was a beautiful woman, dressed in a lovely ladies skirt suit. Her blonde hair had been curled gently, stopping at her shoulders.

"Who is that?" Wyatt asked, unable to pull his gaze off of her.

Lucy whispered, "I think that's Poe's wife."

"Hold up," Rufus interjected. "Poe? As in 'Nevermore' Poe?"

She nodded. "She looks just like the paintings he had in his house when we went back to his timeline."

"Bloodstone did kidnap her," Flynn reminded the team. "It could very well be that she's the sleeper here."

"We need to find out where she's heading and follow her," Lucy began.

"How do you propose we do that?" Wyatt asked. "We have no money."

Flynn stood up and stated, "We climb aboard and hope that we don't run into the ticket master."

"Wha- I think you've watched too many movies with Tenley," Rufus muttered.

Flynn gritted his teeth and glared down at them. "Are you coming or not?"

Lucy jumped to her feet, ready to follow Flynn's lead. Reluctantly, the others followed them across the station and onto the train that Poe's wife had boarded moments before.

The team carefully navigated through the train cars until they found a secluded spot for all of them, while maintaining sightlines with Poe's wife, who sat on the opposite end of the car.

 **Present Day**

Tenley sat in her infirmary in front of her computer. She had gone through the emails pertaining to medical practices, but once she was finished, she stared at the screen, almost willing it to tell her what she wanted to know: should she open the journal from Future Rufus?

A knock landed on her door before it swung open. Her eyes met those familiar ones of Jiya. She gave her an sad sympathetic smile. "Hey."

"Hey," Jiya replied, slumping into the sofa cushions.

"What's up?" Tenley asked, watching her friend carefully.

Jiya sighed heavily, shrugging slightly. "I'm trying not to hold onto the conversation with Future Rufus, but...it's still there, like holding onto my brain and I can't shake it."

Tenley nodded. "I hear you."

"He might not have _wanted_ to tell us what the future holds for us," Jiya began. "But by not saying anything, it says a lot."

Tenley didn't speak. She knew in this moment, the thing that Jiya needed the most was to vent.

Jiya continued, "It's not like I'm asking him for the day and time of my death, but to insinuate that I'm going to die-"

"You don't know that's what he was saying-"

"And you know that for a fact?" Jiya countered. "He looked at me with tears in his eyes - that kind of look that you just _know_ something horrible happened and he couldn't bring himself to tell me..."

"Maybe he did," Tenley began.

"What?" Jiya muttered, bringing her gaze back to Tenley.

Tenley cleared her throat and asked, "What if he had come back and told you how you were going to die, and you live your life trying to keep it from happening and all it did was push you into the situation he had tried to prevent?"

Jiya thought on what she was saying before sighing. "A time paradox."

"Exactly," Tenley replied. "Maybe he's done this before..." Her words drifted off for a moment before saying, "I'm going to tell you this, but know that if Flynn ever found out that I shared it with you-"

"Trouble in paradise pursues," Jiya interrupted. "Got it."

Tenley nodded as she began, "Flynn went back in time to save his brother, remember?" Jiya nodded. Tenley continued, "But what he didn't realize was that Rittenhouse had gotten to him and they forced him to get close to me so they could turn around and get close to Flynn." She paused to make sure that Jiya was still following. "See, he might have saved his brother back in the past but in the end, he had no other choice but to kill his brother in the present to stop him from doing more harm...Flynn even said to me that he fears that if he were to save his family, all it would end up doing would be to force him to relive that pain as they died in some other horrible way."

Jiya listened to everything that Tenley had to say. She internalized it and realized that Tenley was right. She asked, "Does our Rufus know about this?"

Tenley shrugged. "I'm not sure but he might," she admitted. "I know that Flynn has shared some things with Rufus but I'm not sure exactly what."

Jiya sat there in silence, taking in Tenley's words. She sighed heavily. "I just wish I knew why he even came back. Who was he checking up on?"

Tenley shrugged. "It's hard to say."

A knock landed on the door causing both women to glance up at their company. Mason stepped inside. "Agent Christopher wants to speak with all of us."

Tenley's brows knitted together. "Half of us are on a mission..."

Mason nodded, motioning with his head to follow. Jiya and Tenley stood up and obeyed. The three walked to the main living area where Agent Christopher stood, arms crossed over her chest.

The moment the three stopped before her, Agent Christopher began, "I've been thinking about this journal." She motioned to the well-worn journal Future Rufus tossed to them as it sat on the table. "I think we should draw straws to see who gets to read it."

"What?" Tenley gasped. "What about the others?"

She shook her head. "I think it's best if it stayed among us."

"Why?" Jiya asked. "If anything, maybe Rufus should be the one to read it - he did write it after all."

Agent Christopher sighed. "I am unsure that it's wise any of them read the journal." When she was met with stunned expressions, she explained, "Think about it this way: if Wyatt or Flynn read it, they might react before thinking things through. Lucy might get too sucked into the details and Rufus might not be able to process all of journal in an unbiased manner." Her gaze landed on Jiya.

Jiya nodded slowly as she realized what Denise was afraid of. "You think whatever happened to me in the future is written inside that?" she asked, pointing to the journal.

Denise nodded. "It's quite possible."

Mason crossed his arms. "Then I think I should be the one to read it."

"Excuse me?" Denise asked.

"I wasn't here when he came to see you," he began. "I'm not the one he came to 'check up on'. He said that this 'Reynolds' is close to you," he motioned to Agent Christopher. "So, it makes the most sense out of all of us here, that I be the one to read it."

"What about Tenley?" Jiya asked.

"She was here," Mason reminded her. "She could be the one he was checking up on."

Tenley rubbed her temples. Agent Christopher's eyes narrowed as she asked the doctor, "Are you all right?"

Tenley sighed heavily, dropping her arms from her face. "Time travel gives me a headache."

Denise scanned their faces before asking, "Any objections to Connor reading the journal?"

Jiya and Tenley exchanged glances. Tenley stated, "I think it's a terrible idea but it seems that everyone disagrees with me."

Denise nodded. "I appreciate your honesty."

"But you're going to ignore me," Tenley pointed out. Denise nodded curtly. Tenley added, "Good luck. I hope you find what you're looking for."

The doctor walked away from them. Jiya watched her for a moment before turning back to the others. "So," Jiya began. "What is he allowed to share with us?"

Denise gripped the back of the chair in front of her. "I think anything regarding the important topics should be shared - Bloodstone, Rittenhouse, Reynolds - and leave all else alone."

Mason reached for the journal. Before he could pick it up, Denise put her hand over his. "I mean it, Connor," she warned him. "Do not tell anyone anything they don't need to know. And this stays hidden from the others."

Mason smirked. "Of course." She removed her hand and he picked up the journal. His eyes bounced between Jiya and Denise before he began to head back to his room.

 **1947**

Twenty minutes after the train pulled away from the station, the team managed to dodge the ticket inspector. Once they were convinced that he wouldn't return, the team sat back down several rows away from Poe's wife.

"Where is this train going?" Wyatt asked.

Lucy shrugged. She had been trying to think over where they were going as well as what historical relevance took place on this date. So far, she had been drawing a blank.

"Do you think we could talk to her?" Rufus asked. "I mean, we met her husband-"

"Yeah," Wyatt started. "We also met Mata Hari and Lillian Smith - look how that turned out."

Rufus sighed heavily. Wyatt had a point. Bloodstone had ripped these women from their perspective timelines and had trained them to become just another solider in their war - whatever that was.

The woman that Edgar Allen Poe had described to the team when he spoke about his wife didn't match up to the woman who sat a few rows in front of them. She didn't look sickly - on the verge of death with tuberculosis. If anything, she looked healthier than those on the team.

The team didn't have a chance to continue their conversation as the ticket inspector stopped suddenly next to them. He blinked at the four. "I don't remember seeing your tickets," he told them.

Flynn slowly stood up and reached into his coat pocket. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see other passengers watching them carefully. Flynn sighed heavily. "I'm sorry," he started. "It would appear that I left our tickets in our luggage."

"I'll accompany you," the man replied, motioning with his arm for Flynn to lead the way. Flynn nodded curtly and began to make his way to the sleeping cars.

The moment Flynn entered the next car, he elbowed the ticket inspector hard in the face, followed quickly with a backhanded blow to knock the man out cold. Flynn caught the inspector before he hit the ground. He quickly pulled the unconscious man into one of the resting rooms. He laid the man carefully onto the small bench inside and closed the door, securing the latch to lock him inside.

Flynn returned to the team, nodding as he sat back down. To keep the act up with staring eyes upon them, Flynn replied, "He apologizes to all of us for the intrusion."

Lucy saw the people around them turning their eyes away from them and decided to continue the act. "Was he satisfied with our tickets then?"

Flynn nodded. "Yes, he was," Flynn replied. A quick glance about the train car showed that all eyes were turned away. They were no longer people of interest to those nearby.

The rest of the train ride had become uneventful. When the train pulled into the station, the team followed Poe's wife as she made her way through the busy station.

"Where the hell are we?" Wyatt asked, scanning around for signs.

Rufus motioned to the signs. "Looks like Easton, Pennsylvania."

"Why did she come all the way out here?" Wyatt asked.

Lucy shook her head. "We have to keep up with her. We will have to figure that part out later."

The crowds inside the station doubled in size quickly.

"We're going to lose her!" Lucy complained as she pushed her way through the crowds.

Flynn's eyes were locked on the woman. He continued to keep an eye on her as he forced his way through the people swarming him.

Poe's wife had exited the station as the team continued to force their way towards the exit. When they finally pushed their way out, Poe's wife had disappeared.

"Great," Rufus muttered. "Now what?"

Lucy sighed heavily. "I don't know..."


	49. Another Day Rusts

**Present Day**

Tenley stared at the closed door that led to Connor Mason's room. She had started to grow concerned for his well-being. Since taking the journal, he had locked himself inside and barely came out for food or drink. She knew that wasn't healthy for him but there had been little she could do about it - short of taking the door off the hinges.

Releasing a heavy sigh, Tenley turned and headed into the main living area. Agent Christopher stood over Jiya's shoulder watching the computer monitors. When they spotted the doctor, Denise asked, "How is he?"

"I don't know," Tenley admitted. "He has yet to make an appearance since you gave him that book."

Agent Christopher gave her a side glance - one that came across as a warning to the doctor to be careful with her words. Denise wasn't in the mood for sass today. She had a lot of things on her mind.

Tenley didn't miss the look. She gritted her teeth and walked away, heading for the infirmary. She couldn't explain her feelings on the matter any more than she had already. Her words simply fell on deaf ears.

Jiya watched as the doctor headed out of the room. She glanced up at Agent Christopher. "Should we check on Mason?"

Denise sighed. "Eventually," she replied. "For now, let him do whatever he's doing. Maybe we will have answers by tonight."

Jiya wasn't convinced. She had agreed with both sides of the debate. The moment Jiya put aside her upset feelings regarding Future Rufus's comments about coming back to check up on someone other than her, she realized that Tenley had made some valid points.

Jiya wanted to know about what happened to her in the future - how could she not? She had pieced together a picture on her own but it was all speculation. Future Rufus made it sound like she had died. It became a debate on if you knew how you'd die, would you live life differently? Would it matter in the end? She hadn't given it much thought until the opportunity presented itself.

When Jiya walked by Mason's door that evening, she took a moment to listen in. She could hear movement on the other side so she knew he was still alive but like Tenley, she began to worry about him.

She reached out with a fist, preparing to knock on the door. Denise spoke behind her, "Leave him be."

Jiya glanced back over her shoulder. "I think Tenley's right," she started. "He's been in there all this time...are we sure he's all right?"

The door suddenly flew open, startling both women. Mason blinked at both of them, somewhat stunned to see them standing at his door. Jiya couldn't help but notice that Mason's expression mirrored Doc Brown's in Back to the Future, just without the crazy Einstein hair. "I'm fine," he told them. "You can leave now."

"Maybe you should come out and get something to eat-" Jiya tried to say.

"No," Mason interrupted her. "I'm fine. I'm making wonderful progress."

Jiya's eyes widened as she saw Mason's eyes. Behind his usual gaze had been a crazed expression lingering in the background. She wondered how much of knowing the future would eventually kill him. Jiya had finally understood what Rufus - her Rufus, not the Future Rufus - had tried to warn them about regarding knowing the future.

Neither Agent Christopher nor Jiya were able to say another word to Connor before he slammed the door in their faces. They exchanged concerned glances before eventually leaving him to his own devices.

Jiya found herself slowly meandering down the hall towards the infirmary. Her mind raced with terrible thoughts. Did she sign the death warrant of Connor Mason by agreeing to this plan of reading Future Rufus's journal?

She turned into the infirmary, knocking on the open door. Tenley's eyes shot up as she paused at the door. "Hey," Jiya began. "Do you have a minute?"

Tenley nodded, motioning for her to enter. "What's up?"

"I'm worried that I might have made the wrong choice," Jiya admitted. "I think you were right all along about this journal."

"What changed your mind?" Tenley asked, studying the woman's face.

Jiya inhaled slowly as she replied, "I just saw Mason..." she paused for a moment before continuing, "I think he's starting to lose his mind."

Tenley's brow furrowed. "How so?"

"He had this look in his eye," she said. "One that makes you think that he's losing it...becoming overwhelmed or obsessed...or..."

Tenley nodded slowly as she listened. She didn't have to say a word. She also knew that she didn't have to.

"What do we do now?" Jiya asked, concern washing over her features.

"There's nothing we can do," Tenley told her. "It's too late."

Jiya slumped on the couch, defeated. Tenley crossed the room and sat next to her friend. The two remained motionless, staring at the ceiling tiles in silence.

 **1947**

The team wandered the streets aimlessly as they tried to find Poe's wife. Easton wasn't a large city but it was still big enough to lose a person within the limits.

"Short of doing door-to-door searches," Wyatt started. "What else can we do?"

Lucy sighed heavily. She had been quiet since they lost Poe's wife at the station. Wyatt could see on her face that she was lost in thought.

Slumping onto a park bench, Lucy tossed her hands to the side. "I don't know."

"Is there anyone from Easton that Bloodstone would be interested in?" Flynn asked, leaning against the back of the bench. "Anyone we should be looking for instead?"

Lucy shook her head again. "I can't think of anyone in this place or time."

Rufus sat beside her, stretching his legs straight. "I don't know about the rest of you," he started. "But this mission doesn't have the same feeling as the ones before."

"What do you mean?" Wyatt asked, turning his attention over to Rufus.

Rufus explained, "In the past, our missions had this...heavy feeling to it. I don't get that here."

The team took a moment to think about what Rufus was saying. After a moment's reflection, Wyatt nodded. "You're right."

"I am?" Rufus asked, almost stunned as he turned to face Wyatt.

Wyatt nodded. "Yeah...I don't feel eyes on us, watching our every move."

Flynn agreed. "What if this is was a drop off?"

"Drop off?" Rufus asked. Everyone's eyes darted over to Flynn.

Flynn explained, "What if there is no mission here at _this_ time? What if they are simply dropping her off as a sleeper to prepare for a future mission?"

Wyatt cocked his head to the side. "Could be," he stated. "There'd be no way for us to know when the Mothership re-jumped."

"And they've done that before," Rufus reminded them.

Wyatt nodded, motioning to Rufus, repeating, "And they've done it before."

Lucy shook her head. "That doesn't make sense though..." She lifted her eyes and waved her thoughts aside. "I mean - what you're saying makes sense but I don't think that's what's happening here..."

"Why do you think that?" Wyatt pushed.

Lucy's face held the same intense look of concentration. "She had this look about her...She's on a mission...I just wish I knew what it was."

Flynn studied Lucy's face. He could see that she had been wracking her brain trying to think on what the purpose of Bloodstone's mission was. He could see the veins in her forehead throbbing. He laid a hand on her shoulder gently, saying, "Don't think too hard, Lucy. You'll give yourself a headache."

She gave a small smile as she nodded that she heard him.

Rufus asked, "So...door-to-door searches?"

Wyatt sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I guess..."

The team glanced up at him as his words trailed off. His eyes were fixed on something across the way. When the team turned to see, they spotted the familiar frame of Poe's wife, walking down the street, hand in hand with a man.

"He doesn't look like a Bloodstone agent," Rufus pointed out.

"He's not," Flynn stated confidently.

"How do you know that?" Rufus asked.

Flynn glanced over at the pilot. "He doesn't carry himself like someone trained for something like that...he looks like he belongs here."

Lucy's eyes hadn't left the couple. She watched the two interact. A small smile graced her features as she noticed that familiar look of love. The way the man looked at Poe's wife, the way he smiled at her, the way he held her hand...Lucy could tell he was smitten with her.

Poe's wife also looked at the man lovingly but she had a pained look lingering behind her smile. Lucy recognized it as a smile she used to put on when they had discovered that Wyatt's wife, Jessica was still alive.

The team watched as the two entered a diner. Flynn asked, "Shall we?"

The diner was surprisingly packed for the hour of the day. The team spotted Poe's wife and the man with her nestled together in a booth at the far end of the diner.

The team found the only available seat on the opposite end and sat down. "What now?" Rufus asked.

"We wait," Wyatt stated.

A waitress appeared next to their table and immediately began pouring cups of coffee for the team. "What can I get for you?"

"This is plenty, thank you," Lucy said with a smile. The waitress nodded and left them alone.

"They seem happy," Rufus pointed out.

Lucy nodded, unable to tear her eyes away from them. She wondered if the pain she spotted in Poe's wife's eyes was real or not. She hadn't been this confused on a mission in quite some time.

"You're thinking awfully hard there, Lucy," Wyatt whispered into her ear. "What's going on?"

Lucy sighed. "I just don't understand what we're doing here...are we sure she's Bloodstone?"

Before another could answer, they watched as the two 'love-birds' stood up and exited the diner. The team quickly followed after them.

"That was fast," Rufus muttered as they left.

The two stopped at the corner of the street. Poe's wife touched the man's cheek, shaking her head. She seemed distraught as she tried to walk away from him. The man grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards him. He kissed her passionately. Poe's wife pushed him away after a moment.

Lucy tilted her head in confusion as she watched Poe's wife walk away, leaving the man who clearly loved her, heartbroken on the street corner.

Lucy approached the man as he stood there watching the woman he loved walk away. "Excuse me?" she asked. The man barely acknowledged her presence. "Are you all right?"

"I don't think I'll ever be all right again," the man stated.

"What happened?" Lucy asked, pushing him to reveal details.

The man sniffled. "The woman I love just left me."

"Why?" Lucy asked. "Did she say?"

The man sighed. "What does it matter? She's gone..."

"What's your name?" Lucy asked, gently.

"Barry," the man replied. "Barry Rhodes."

Lucy's face twitched with slight recognition. She couldn't figure out why the name was familiar to her. "I'm sorry, Barry," Lucy cooed.

"I just don't understand it," Barry cried. "We were in love...Evelyn and me..."

Lucy's brows knitted together. "Evelyn?"

"Evelyn McHale," Barry confirmed. "I proposed to her too...and..." He choked back sobs.

"Did she say anything?" Lucy pushed.

Flynn muttered, "We're losing her..."

Barry sniffled. "No," he told her. "Just that she couldn't marry me..."

"I'll try to talk to her," Lucy offered quickly.

"Why would you do that?" Barry asked, brows furrowed. "You don't know me or Evelyn."

Lucy shook her head. "Because I believe in love...and you clearly love her."

Barry smiled at Lucy. "I'd be eternally grateful."

Lucy nodded, turning to face the team. They rushed down the street towards the train station where Poe's wife had headed.

Once they entered the train station, they scanned the area. Poe's wife had climbed onto the train. The team was fast to pursue.

When they sat down, they spotted her sitting alone a few rows ahead. She seemed to be writing something down onto paper. Lucy watched the woman's expression. There seemed to be a mix of emotions written on her face. Lucy couldn't identify all of them.

"What now?" Rufus asked.

"Is that all you can say?" Wyatt asked. "That's like the third time you've asked that."

"And it's still a valid question," Rufus countered. The two began bickering over the validity of the question.

Flynn stared at Lucy. He leaned across the empty space towards her. "What are you thinking about, Lucy?" he asked.

Lucy blinked back her thoughts as she looked at him. "I think I know who she is...I mean, who she's pretending to be..."

Flynn's head tilted to the side. "Who would that be?"

Lucy replied quietly, "Evelyn McHale." When Flynn shrugged at the name, she explained, "She was a bookkeeper who came from a very poor and very large family..."

"What importance did she have to history?" Flynn asked.

Lucy shook her head. "She didn't really...except..."

"Except?" Flynn pushed.

Lucy swallowed nervously as she quietly explained, "She was known for being 'the most beautiful suicide' in a photograph."

Flynn blinked a couple of times as he processed this information. "So, she's going to kill herself?"

"If history remains true," Lucy replied. "It sort of makes sense now..."

"What's that?" he asked.

"There's not much information on her," Lucy started. "But what I do remember reading about her life and her death...her suicide note said that she didn't think that she'd make a good wife to anyone and that Barry would be better off without her...She asked that no one in her family see her body, asked to be cremated with no service or burial..."

Flynn leaned back into his seat. "What do you think is really happening then?"

Lucy sighed heavily as she turned her attention back to Poe's wife. "I don't know."

The train pulled into the station in New York and the team followed the woman down the street. As she turned into the Empire State Building, Rufus asked, "Where is she going?"

Lucy started to run towards the building. "She's going to do it tonight!"

"Do what?" Wyatt asked, clearly confused. He ran after Lucy with the others in tow.

They scrambled into the building. Poe's wife had already gotten into the elevator and headed up to the observation deck. Lucy clicked the button for the elevator but started towards the stairs.

Wyatt pulled her arm. "That's too long to run," he told her. "Especially in heels." He pointed to her shoes. "I'll take the stairs, you wait for the elevator!"

Wyatt and Rufus began their hike up the stairwell as Flynn and Lucy waited for what seemed like an eternity for the elevator. When the doors finally opened, they rushed inside, pushing the button for the 86th floor.

Lucy paced uneasily inside the elevator. Flynn watched the numbers grow as they neared the top of the building.

Lucy felt sick to her stomach. All she kept thinking about were the words that Edgar Allen Poe had told her... he had asked that they find his wife and bring her home... she feared that she was about to break that promise to him.

The doors to the elevator opened and Lucy rushed out. She ran towards the edge. She spotted Poe's wife removing her coat and folding it neatly.

"Wait!" Lucy shouted as she rushed forward.

Poe's wife raised her hand, trying to stop Lucy from coming any closer. "Stay where you are!"

"Please!" Lucy begged. "We're here to help you!"

"You can't help me," the woman replied. "I'm not worth anyone's help."

"Yes, you are!" Lucy countered.

The woman shook her head. "I've done horrible things-"

"You're not a bad person-" Lucy tried to tell her.

"I've _killed_ people!" Poe's wife spat. "You don't know me!"

"You're right," Lucy began. "But I do know your husband."

The woman blinked at her. "I have no husband."

"Edgar?" Lucy said.

The woman's face faltered at his name. "What did you just say?"

"I know Edgar," Lucy replied. "He asked me to find you and bring you home."

Tears fell from the woman's eyes. "You're lying."

"I'm not," Lucy stated. "I promise you, I'm not lying."

"This is a trick," the woman countered. "I'm not going to fall for it...not like Miss LaLaurie."

"What happened to her?" Lucy asked, stunned. "What happened to Marie?"

"You don't know?" Poe's wife asked, surprised. "I thought you were Rittenhouse."

"I'm not Rittenhouse," Lucy explained. "I'm not Bloodstone, either."

Suddenly recognition washed over the woman's face. "You're Lucy," she recalled.

Lucy nodded. "Please, let me help you."

"It's too late for me," the woman stated. "Just like Marie...Just like Lillian and Margreet." She placed her folded coat down on the small chair next to her.

"It's never too late," Lucy pleaded. "We can take you back home."

"They killed him," she interjected. "Edgar...they killed him. Where were you then?"

"What?" Lucy gasped.

"Reynolds...I learned of this when I looked Edgar up in the library," Poe's wife explained. "He lied to me. Made me believe that I could do some good in this world and this was how he repaid me. By killing my husband."

"We can stop Reynolds together," Flynn's voice suddenly spoke behind Lucy. Lucy glanced over her shoulder briefly as Flynn approached. "They've killed my wife and daughter, just as they've killed your husband." Poe's wife watched him carefully, taking in what he was saying. He continued, "We can help each other...but we need your help. We don't know who Reynolds is or what they are after-"

"He's after someone close to you," Poe's wife stated. "To both of you."

"Who?" Lucy asked, fear creeping into her being. Her thoughts drifted over to Wyatt.

Poe's wife shook her head in defeat. "I can't... I just want to see my husband again."

"Wait!" Lucy shouted, trying to keep the woman away from the edge of the building. "Please! Help us!"

Poe's wife started to climb up the short wall. She stared over the edge before turning her gaze back over to Lucy and Flynn. "No one can stop them. It's too late-"

"It's not!" Lucy argued, taking a step forward. She reached her hand out to the woman. "Please...let us help you...help us stop this and we can take you home-"

"I have no home now," she told them. "If I don't do this, they will kill me anyways...I can't let them have that power over me anymore." She looked back down and said, "Protect those around you." Her eyes lifted back to the two. "I'm finally going to see Edgar."

Before the two could react, she fell from the observation deck. Lucy screamed, turning into Flynn's chest for comfort. Sobs racked her body as she thought about how she failed Poe and his wife.

Wyatt and Rufus finally staggered onto the deck, winded and barely standing up straight. "What...happened?" Wyatt asked between breaths.

Rufus gasped for air. "Who's idea...was it to...run up...stairs?"

Wyatt noticed Flynn holding a crying Lucy and stood up straight. He approached them and asked, "What happened?"

Lucy turned to face Wyatt as tears fell freely from her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck and embraced him tightly.

 **Present Day**

When the team emerged from the Lifeboat, they looked worse for wear. It took a moment for them to begin discussing what had taken place on this mission.

"And then she jumped," Lucy concluded with a sniffle.

"I still don't understand _why_ she would do such a thing," Agent Christopher stated.

Flynn inhaled before saying, "If you were kidnapped, lied to, and made to do things that you'd never do of your own volition, only to discover that they killed your family anyways...would you want to stick around?"

Denise nodded, letting the weight of those words sink in. She thought about what it would mean for her if something like that had happened to Michelle and their kids. Would she do something just as drastic in a moment of weakness?

"Where's Mason?" Rufus asked, scanning the room.

Jiya and Tenley turned their gazes over to Agent Christopher. Denise sighed. "He's in his room." When the team furrowed their brows, knowing that they weren't being informed of all the details, she added, "Reading the journal."

"What?!" the scattered shouts erupted in the room.

"What happened to agreeing not to open that book?" Wyatt asked, angrily.

Lucy shook her head. "Has he found anything?"

"How long has this been going on?" Rufus asked. All of their questions had overlapped one another.

Denise raised her hands, trying to calm the group down. She explained, "I'm sorry that I didn't inform you earlier, however, this was something that I believed had to be done. We believed that Connor was the most logical choice to read the journal-"

"Why is that?" Flynn questioned.

Denise sighed. "Out of all of us, he's the one that Future Rufus didn't seem concerned about. I've given him strict orders not to share or read too much into the details that we shouldn't focus on-"

"Such as?" Wyatt pushed.

"I have him searching for anything pertaining to Rittenhouse, Bloodstone, and Reynolds," she explained. "Nothing more."

"And you're sure that he's sticking to those rules?" Wyatt questioned, eyebrows raised quizzically.

Jiya muttered, "I doubt it after seeing the look on his face-"

"What was that?" Wyatt asked, turning his intense gaze over to her.

She shifted in her place, suddenly nervous as all eyes landed on her. She cleared her throat and stated, "I think he's reading the whole thing. He had a crazed look in his eye the last time I saw him."

"How long has he been in reading that journal?" Lucy asked, somewhat concerned.

"Since you left," Jiya replied, crossing her arms over her chest in a protective manner.

Tenley sighed. "I've seen him come out once to use the bathroom and grab a quick snack but...he's pretty much locked himself in his room with that book."

Wyatt scoffed, tossing his hands up in the air out of frustration. "We should have done this together-"

"This is why I chose to handle things as I did," Agent Christopher explained. "I knew that you'd react this way. We need answers and we need them fast. Mason knows what is on the line here."

"You're risking him going mental over this journal-" Wyatt began.

"Mental?" Mason's voice spoke behind them. "I think you underestimate my ability to handle the information."

Everyone whirled around to see Connor standing there, blinking at the team. He scanned each member's face before turning to the kitchen, refilling his coffee mug.

"Have you found anything?" Denise asked, taking a small step forward.

He nodded. "Quite a bit of fascinating information, however, none of it applies to what you'd like to know."

"I told you not to read the entire journal-" Denise began.

He cut her off. "Unfortunately, I have to read the whole thing in order to understand what is going on. Future You," he said, motioning to Rufus. "Wrote things in such a way that in order to understand what was coming, I have to know what happened."

He turned and began to head back to his room. He paused and glanced back over his shoulder and stated, "I will say this now...the next mission...It would be wise to send Tenley."

Tenley's mouth parted and a small gasp escaped her lips. "Wha-"

"Rufus, Lucy, Flynn, and Tenley," Mason suggested. He turned and disappeared down the hallway to his room.

All eyes drifted over to Tenley as she exchanged confused glances with the team.

Life in the bunker had grown quiet. Since the mission involving Poe's wife, no one had the energy to do much of anything. Depression spread throughout the bunker and there seemed to be little that anyone could do about it.

Lucy thought back to those final moments with Poe's wife and the things she had said. She thought back to the people they knew had been kidnapped by Bloodstone and those that they had seen return as Bloodstone agents. The numbers of Bloodstone agents on the missions had been dwindling. She had just realized this as they looked back over the past few missions.

Learning of Marie LaLaurie's death through Poe's wife's accounts made Lucy realize that maybe Emma had been right all along. Rittenhouse and Bloodstone were at war and it would seem that Rittenhouse was winning.

They still had no knowledge of who Reynolds was or where he hid. She had hoped that Poe's wife would have shared that much with them before her death. She simply wished that Poe's wife would have listened to them and allowed them to help her. It still pained her to think that she had failed Edgar's final wish to her.

Poe's wife's warnings to Lucy and to Flynn had echoed in her mind. _He's after someone close to you_. Lucy thought over the people in her life carefully. The only one that she kept coming back to was Wyatt. What if Bloodstone was after him? Was that why Rittenhouse brought Jessica back to life? Were they trying to redirect Wyatt over to their side instead of Bloodstone's?

Lucy's head pounded as the tension headache grew. She rubbed her temples, willing the pain to go away. She had been thinking too hard on the matter and her body was punishing her for it.

Sighing, she pushed herself to her feet and headed for the infirmary.

In the infirmary, Tenley stared at the computer screen. She had seventy-five unread emails - all work related - but she just couldn't concentrate on them. Her thoughts continued to drift back to everything that had cropped up since Future Rufus showed up.

A knock on her door broke her train of thought. She lifted her gaze as the door opened and Lucy leaned in. "Hey."

"Hey," Lucy replied in kind. "Do you have a minute?"

"Sure," the doctor said, closing the laptop. "What's up?"

Lucy entered the room and admitted, "I've got this terrible headache...do you have anything I can take?"

Tenley nodded, pushing herself up to her feet. "Sure thing."

"Thanks," Lucy muttered.

Tenley removed the pill bottle, opened it, and poured some tablets into her hand. She closed the bottle and returned it into the cabinet before turning around and passing the pills over to Lucy. "Do you want some water?"

"Oh," Lucy started. "That's okay. I'm going to grab a cup of coffee next. Maybe it's caffeine related."

Tenley gave her a short nod and half smile. "Okay."  
The two stood there in silence for a moment before Lucy turned to head for the door. She raised the pills and said, "Thank you."  
Tenley nodded again and watched as Lucy left. Tenley sat back down at her small table with a sigh. She opened the laptop again and scanned through the unread emails' subject line. When a new message popped up, Tenley's eyebrows furrowed together.

 _Your DNA Results_

Tenley's dark eyes slid across the screen to the sender. It wasn't from anyone she recognized. She contemplated deleting the message, thinking it was spam but curiosity had gotten the better of her.

Tenley clicked the message open and saw the sender's address was secured from her view. Her eyes darted to the message. Her brows knitted together, lips forming a thin line as she read through it.

In the message, someone had taken DNA from each member of her family. There were pictures of each family member, their relationship to her, along with a nearly completed family history. Included at the very bottom of this email had the DNA results. There was only one person's DNA that didn't match the rest of the family's. It belonged to her.


	50. Countdown To Zero

**A/N: Thank you guest and fritzenlcaos for your reviews.**

 **Fritzen, thank you so much. I'm so humbled and honored to have your review. It certainly brightened my day. I hope that this story continues to resonate. Unfortunately, I'm ending it in a couple of chapters to take a break from it. It seems that this fic isn't very popular/interesting enough to the masses. *shrug* That's okay though. It was fun to write and that's all that matters. =)**

 **Here's the next chapter - Early! Enjoy!**

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Jiya was inside the Lifeboat tinkering away at the control panel. Rufus climbed inside and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I've been working on an upgrade for the Lifeboat," she explained.

"What upgrade?" he asked, sitting down in one of the other seats.

Jiya continued working as she said, "You know how you guys have been saying that you believe the Mothership leaves before you're finished with your mission?" Rufus nodded. Jiya continued, "I've come up with a way to have the Lifeboat recognize when that happens so you'll know when missions are a fluke or distraction."

"How will it tell us if we aren't in the Lifeboat?" Rufus questioned.

Jiya held up a small item. "I'm working on this being the transmitter," she told him. He took the item from her hand. It was a pen.

She pointed to the cap. "Right there on the end? That's a light. When the Mothership jumps, it will light up red."

Almost as if on cue, the pen lit up bright red. "Like that?" Rufus asked.

Jiya chuckled. "It works!"

The alarms inside the bunker began to sound. Jiya and Rufus climbed out of the Lifeboat and headed over to the computer. Jiya began typing at the keyboard, bringing up the information on where the Mothership had gone.

Agent Christopher asked from behind them, "What have you got?"

"November 20, 1916," Jiya stated. "Naples."

Lucy's eyes darted back and forth as she thought quickly. When the idea came to her, she spoke barely at a whisper, "The Britannic."

The group turned to look at her. Agent Christopher asked, "Are you sure?"

Lucy nodded. "There was a bad storm that kept her in port that night but the ship left the next morning. They struck a mine in the Aegean Sea around eight in the morning and sunk within 55 minutes."

Agent Christopher nodded. "Okay...so let's make sure that we follow Mason's advice since he's read the journal."

Tenley paled at the suggestion. Flynn saw her face and asked, "Are you all right, Nine?"

She tried to swallow but found that to be difficult. She felt like her throat was closing on her. She took a couple of shaky breaths.

"Nine?" Flynn repeated, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Hey," he whispered, moving his hands to her cheeks, pulling her gaze to meet his. "Talk to me."

She blinked back tears. "I can't do this..."

"What?" he asked.

"I can't..." she tried to say again.

Agent Christopher stood beside them. "What's going on?"

Tenley's fear remained on her face as she stammered, "I can't...I can't do this...Not this..."

Wyatt interjected, "She was on the Pulaski, remember?" When the team turned to face him, Wyatt added, "She was on board when it blew. She was with Jack in the water and once they were on land..." He didn't have to continue. They remembered.

Flynn turned his gaze back to Tenley. "Hey," he cooed. "I'll be there with you. I won't let that happen again."

"55 minutes," she repeated, eyes lifting to his again. "It sinks in 55 minutes..."

"I know," he told her. "I'll be there with you."

"We'll need your expertise," Lucy tried to say. "I'm sure people will need medical care-"

Tenley scoffed but eventually nodded. "Okay... I'll go... We're wasting time, right?"

Flynn's lips twitched at hearing her say those words. He knew that he said them far too often. He had been rubbing off on her. He took her hand and led her to the Lifeboat, helping her in.

Jiya passed the transmitter pen over to Rufus. "Take this with you. You never know what might happen."

Rufus took the pen and put it in his pocket. He kissed her. "You're brilliant."  
"I know," she said with a smile.

Wyatt asked as the hatch closed, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"I'm not certain of anything anymore," Denise stated.

 **1916**

The Lifeboat landed in an abandoned warehouse near the port where the Britannic sat. It hadn't taken the team long to secure uniforms from the British Red Cross. They started to make their way towards the dock.

"What about the Lifeboat?" Rufus asked, tucking Jiya's pen into his front pocket.

Flynn stopped abruptly in his tracks. Tenley crashed into him. She took a step back as she glanced up at him. He turned and looked at Rufus and Lucy, then Tenley. "You said that the ship sinks in 55 minutes?"

Lucy nodded. "After it hits the mine around 8 am...what are you thinking?"

"Maybe you should stay with the Lifeboat," he mused.

"What?" Tenley gasped.

Flynn's eyes darted among the three around him. "We can't hide the Lifeboat onboard. We can't risk someone finding it in that warehouse..."

"What are you suggesting?" Lucy asked, starting to panic.

Flynn sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I think it might be best if some of us stayed with the Lifeboat...maybe left and returned if need be."

"Why would we need to leave?" Rufus asked, clearly confused.

Flynn's jaw tightened. He knew he was running out of time as he stated, "We don't know where Bloodstone is. We can't risk all of us being on the ship, potentially dying on this mission, and the Lifeboat falls into their hands. Maybe we split up and you come back for us."

Lucy's eyes darted around the group. "Who would go? Who would stay?"

"Rufus is the only pilot," Flynn reminded her.

"I'm the only historian," Lucy pointed out.

Tenley shifted uncomfortably in her place. "And I'm the only doctor...we could debate this all day..."

Rufus sighed. "Maybe we can land the Lifeboat somewhere a bit more secluded and come back for you when we know where you are..."

Lucy glanced over at Rufus. "And what? Try to mount another rescue operation on this end?"

Rufus shrugged. "Worked last time."

"Barely," Tenley muttered, touching where she had been shot during the Pulaski disaster.

Lucy suggested, "Maybe Rufus and Tenley should stay behind-"

"I think Tenley should be onboard," Flynn interrupted. He glanced between the two and stated, "She's the doctor...this is a medical boat."

Tenley closed her eyes briefly. She didn't want to admit it but stated, "He's right... I'm the only one that makes sense to be onboard."

Lucy offered her a sympathetic smile. She knew that Tenley didn't want to be back on yet another boat that would explode and sink. She understood the woman's hesitation. "Okay..."

Rufus pulled out the pen from his pocket and passed it over to Flynn. "You're going to want this."

"A pen?" Flynn asked eyebrow raised.

"It's a transmitter," Rufus explained. "It'll tell you when the Mothership and Lifeboat jump." The team looked up at Rufus, stunned. He added, "Jiya's been working on it."

Flynn nodded, slipping it into his pocket. "Good luck and don't forget about us."

Rufus muttered something under his breath that Lucy and Tenley couldn't catch but the look on Flynn's face told them that at least one of them had. Flynn held Rufus's gaze before nodding.

Lucy and Rufus watched as Tenley and Flynn headed for the dock. Other workers for the Red Cross had started to board.

Flynn and Tenley found themselves inside the Britannic. Tenley's eyes scanned the area. "This is incredible..."

Flynn gave her a sideways glance but remained silent. He focused on trying to observe the people onboard. So far, he only saw people who worked for the British Red Cross. No one stood out to him as someone who didn't belong.

"What if this is another situation like you experienced last time?" Tenley asked, breaking his concentration.

He blinked at her. "What?"

"Your last mission," she reminded him. "What if this is the same setup? What if we aren't here for anyone of importance? What if Bloodstone isn't here?"

"Why would you think that?" he asked.

"Because the pen just lit up," she replied, motioning to the pen in his pocket. It illuminated red.

"It could be the Lifeboat moving," he told her. He wasn't sure but he had to keep the nerves to a minimum for both of their sakes. She gave him a disbelieving look but said nothing. He couldn't blame her for having doubts. He didn't believe what he was saying either.

They were ushered into another part of the ship. Flynn memorized each turn they took, every room and hallway as they walked. Inside his mind, he had drawn up a map of the ship. He simply had a feeling that he'd need to be prepared for the worst.

Once the Red Cross volunteers were crammed into the room, the Captain of the liner began to make his speech regarding their mission to help serve the wounded as they were bringing them home from the front lines. He explained that they would be shoving off from port early in the morning and to get sleep before the big day.

The Captain left and the volunteers began dispersing. Tenley inched herself closer to Flynn as the people bumped into them. Flynn held her hand tightly as they glanced about the area.

One woman turned and brushed by Tenley, not looking back to apologize to her for bumping into her. Tenley blinked after the woman in silent shock. Flynn noticed her expression and turned to look at who she was staring at.

"Nine?" he asked.

"That can't be..." she breathed.

Lucy and Rufus had managed to move the Lifeboat to a more secluded location outside of the warehouse and away from prying eyes. They felt better about the new location but were still unsure about what to do if Flynn and Tenley needed them to come to the rescue.

The two marched into the British Red Cross's headquarters at the port. Since they were still dressed as volunteers, they didn't have any issues gaining access to the building.

"What are we looking for?" Rufus asked, scanning the pictures on the walls as he followed Lucy further into the building.

"Something that could help..." her voice trailed off.

Rufus narrowed his eyes at her. "What? You stopped all of the sudden."

"Take a look at this," she said, motioning him over to a framed photograph on the wall. "These are the volunteers onboard."

Rufus stood behind her, examining the black and white photo. "What am I looking for?"

Lucy's eyes scanned through the faces in the photo. Her eyes stopped as she furrowed her brow. "Oh my...that's Violet Jessop!"

"Who?" Rufus asked.

Lucy turned around and explained, "Violet Jessop served on the Olympia, Titanic, and the Britannic - all of which sank...well, except the Olympia. That one made it back to port before it sank."

"Talk about bad luck," Rufus remarked. "So, are you saying she's responsible for the ships sinking?"

Lucy shook her head. "I don't think so," she said, turning back to the photo. "But maybe she's..." her voice trailed off and she stepped closer to the photo.

"What is it?" Rufus asked, knowing something was wrong.

Lucy's lips parted as she straightened herself. "Does she look familiar to you?"

Rufus leaned in to get a better look. "Should she?"

Lucy blinked. "Do you remember the Pulaski?"

"Hard to forget that one," he stated.

"Think back on the survivors," Lucy said, nudging him in a direction of thought.

Rufus stared at the picture again, thinking back to that mission. "Sorry but I've got nothing."

Lucy shook her head. "No...she was there."

"Really?" he asked, giving her another look. "I don't remember seeing-"

"She's the sick girl that Tenley rescued," Lucy stated. "She's Violet Jessop."

"And she's involved in yet another sinking?" Rufus sighed heavily. "That's _really_ terrible luck."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "You're missing the point, Rufus!" She glared at him. "She's Bloodstone!"

Rufus's face paled at the connection. "And they're on board with her. What do we do?"

Lucy's eyes filled with fear as she turned to face Rufus. She had no answers. All she knew for certain was that two people close to her were onboard a ship that was doomed to sink and they were trapped with a Bloodstone agent.

Back on the Britannic, Flynn and Tenley walked the ship. Flynn stated, "From what I remember in history class, the ship strikes a German mine and it sinks quickly."

"55 minutes," Tenley repeated.

He nodded. "The ship sinks very similarly to the Titanic...she will roll first, then the bow will sink and then the stern."

Tenley swallowed nervously. "What do we do, Flynn? Why are we here?"

Flynn gently grabbed her shoulders, gazing into her eyes. He tried to send her calming vibes. "Look," he began. "We'll be okay."

"You don't know that," she whispered. "55 minutes isn't a long time."

"I'll be here with you," he told her again. "We'll be okay."

He could see the panic still behind her eyes. He pulled her into his arms and gave her a tight embrace. She shook slightly from fear as he held her.

The morning had started to make its appearance on the horizon. The two stood there and watched the sun begin to rise. Tenley wondered if this would be the last time she would see the sunrise.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Soon," Flynn replied. He knew that she didn't want the hour but rather, she wanted to know how much time they had before they were faced to evacuate the ship.

Tenley swallowed nervously, pulling away from him. "I saw someone that was familiar to me."

He furrowed his brow as he held her stare. "What are you talking about, Nine?"

"She bumped into me after the Captain's speech," she told him. "I saw her before-"

"When?" he asked.

"During the Pulaski disaster mission," she explained. "She's the girl that I saved that day..."

"You're certain?" he asked. "We can't know that for sure-"

"I'm afraid that she's telling the truth," a voice spoke behind them.

The two turned to see a beautiful woman standing before them. Her long brown hair had been tied into a neat bun on top of her head. She had an elegance to her and grace as she moved. The woman held Tenley's gaze and stated, "It's good to see you again. I've been meaning to thank you for saving my life."

Tenley gasped as she stared back at the girl. "Wha-"

"Shortly after you saved me," the woman began. "I was approached by some men in black suits... Remember Jack?"

Flynn tightened his grip on Tenley's wrist, pulling her behind him protectively.

The woman smiled warmly at him, raising her hands defensively. "I'm not here to hurt either of you."

"Why are you here then?" he demanded to know.

"To warn you," she said.

Tenley's brows knitted together. "Warn us? About what?"

"You shouldn't have come here," she said. "You've endangered yourself."

"We came to stop Bloodstone-"

The woman shook her head, interrupting them. "I know why you're here. You've targeted the wrong person."

"What does that mean?" Flynn asked.

She turned her attention towards Flynn. "I'm not the enemy here," she explained. "Why do you think I've been involved in so many shipwrecks?"

The two blinked in confusion at her. She sighed and stated, "I'm Violet Jessop."

"Miss Unsinkable," Flynn muttered.

Tenley glanced up at him and mouthed _what_.

Violet explained, "I was aboard the Olympia, the Titanic, and now, the Britannic...all of which were involved in some kind of accident, most of which resulted in a sinking...Let's just say, that I'm getting rather tired of boats."

"I don't understand..." Tenley admitted.

Violet sighed. "I'm a double agent. I'm not Bloodstone."

"What..." Tenley gasped, trying to wrap her head around what she was hearing.

"I was kidnapped by Bloodstone shortly after the Pulaski," Violet explained. "I'm working for Rittenhouse... that's why every damned ship I've been on has sunk. Bloodstone has been targeting me because of what I know."

"What _do_ you know?" Flynn asked, hoping she'd share her knowledge.

She held his intense stare for a moment. "More than you," she stated. She glanced back to Tenley. "If you help me, I'll help you."

"What do you need?" Tenley asked. Flynn gritted his teeth, shooting her a disapproving look. He didn't want to agree to anything - especially with a Rittenhouse agent.

Violet smiled kindly at Tenley. "I need to disappear."

Flynn's confused gaze turned back to Violet. Tenley's brows knitted together to reflect the same confusion as they stared at the woman before them. "Disappear?"

Violet nodded. "Eventually, my life will become obsolete, even with Rittenhouse. I just want to go home."

"Seems to be a common thought," Flynn mentioned.

Violet tilted her head at him. "What do you mean?"

"Evelyn said the same thing," Flynn told her. Violet's face fell. He didn't have to tell her that the woman had taken her life. She knew.

"If she is gone, then it's only a matter of time before I'm next," she stated. She glanced at her watch. "We don't have much time before the ship hits the mine."

"What's your plan?" Flynn asked, standing straighter.

Violet replied, "When the ship hits the mine, I need to make sure that Rittenhouse _and_ Bloodstone believe me to be dead. If they think that I am still alive, they'll never stop looking for me." Her eyes darted between the two and added, "And I'd rather _not_ die on a shipwreck."

Flynn and Tenley exchanged glances. They knew that they didn't have much choice. They wanted the information she had and the only way they'd get it would be to help this woman 'die'.

Flynn sighed heavily, almost defeated. "Looks like we don't have much choice."

Violet shook her head slightly. "No, you don't," she replied. "Not if you want to know what I know. And trust me, you do."

She motioned for the two to follow her. They hesitated for a moment before Flynn grasped Tenley's hand, pulling her behind him as they followed the woman down the halls of the ship.

 _ **07:12**_

Violet led them into her quarters. "We have an hour before we strike the mine," she told them. "We have to move quickly."

"What do you have in mind?" Tenley asked.

Violet pointed to her armoire. "I have a few shots of epinephrine hidden in there," she explained.

"What for?" Tenley asked. She knew that Violet had brought these medications with her from their timeline.

Violet sighed. "You're going to need to bring me back to life somehow," she said. "This will be the quickest way to ensure that I wake up." Her eyes darted between the two. "I'm trusting you both with my life here."

A knock landed on the door. Violet's eyes widened as she stared at the door. "Who is it?" she asked cautiously.

"Officer Johnson," the voice answered.

Flynn noticed Violet's body language grow rigid - something was wrong. He gently pushed Tenley off to the side as he stood by the door. Violet nodded as she watched Flynn remove his gun from his breast pocket.

"Come in," she offered.

The doorknob to her quarters began to turn slowly. The door began to swing open cautiously. The moment Flynn spotted the gun - suppressor attached - that the officer carried, he sprang into action.

Flynn slammed the door closed on the man's arm. The gun fell to the floor with a thud. The man slammed his weight onto the door, pushing Flynn and the door off of him. He lunged towards Flynn.

The man's arms wrapped around Flynn's waist, lifting him slightly off the floor before slamming him into the wall behind them.

Violet and Tenley scrambled to get out of the way of their fight. Tenley glanced over to see the gun the man had dropped earlier and rushed over to grab it.

Flynn slammed his elbow into the man's back, bringing him to his knees. The man pulled Flynn's knees forward, knocking him to the ground. They wrestled for control of Flynn's gun.

"Stop!" Tenley shouted, gun aimed at the two.

The man glanced over at Tenley to see the gun aimed at them. He smirked as he elbowed Flynn in the neck, winding him. As Flynn choked back gasps of air, the man turned his attention towards Tenley.

Tenley spotted the gun in his hand and didn't hesitate. She pulled the trigger. The round struck the wall behind the man's shoulder. The man barely flinched at the missed shot. He started to make his way across the room towards her.

Tenley fired another round. It grazed the man's shoulder, ripping his black suit. Given how he didn't hiss out in pain told Tenley that she missed him even then. He took another step towards her, an evil smile forming on his lips.

Tenley steadied her breathing as she aimed the gun once more, knowing this would most likely be the last chance she'd have against the man. She pulled the trigger and the gun jammed.

The man reached out and grabbed the gun from her hand, yanking it out of her grasp, tossing it behind him. Before Tenley could react, the man's hand wrapped around her throat, closing off her air supply.

Tenley's hands shot up to his grip. She tried prying his fingers off of her neck, but his hold was too strong. She watched the look of hate fill the man's eyes as he squeezed even tighter.

As the world began to dim, Tenley felt the man jerk suddenly. His eyes widened with a sudden realization as his grip began to loosen around her neck. He pulled away from her before collapsing onto the floor in front of the doctor.

Tenley grasped her neck, coughing on the air as it came rushing back into her lungs. She stared down at the man before her. A dark pool of blood began to seep around his body. She glanced up to see that Flynn had recovered from the attack. He had fixed the gun that had jammed and used it against their attacker.

The two stared at each other for a moment, taking in one another's state. Flynn silently asked her if she was okay by the look in his eyes. She simply nodded as she stepped carefully around the man's body.

Violet emerged from her hiding spot in the room. "Thank you," she breathed. "You've already saved my life..."

Flynn cleared his throat and straightened his clothes. "Do you know him?"

She nodded slightly. "An assassin," she explained. "He was sent to kill me."

"Bloodstone or-"

"Yes," she answered. "I can't say how many others are onboard. We have to be careful."

Flynn and Tenley exchanged worried glances.


	51. Rufus's Welcoming Ceremony

_**07:38**_

Flynn dressed in the officer's uniform as instructed by Violet. She told him to head up to the bridge and help with the evacuation efforts when the time came. He didn't want to separate from Tenley nor Violet but he decided to follow her lead.

Tenley followed Violet as she led them through the hallways towards the upper deck. Violet glanced over her shoulder and stated, "I have to ask and forgive me if it sounds strange but have you discovered your family yet?"

Tenley's brows knitted together. "What do you mean?" she asked. "I don't understand what you mean-"

"Maybe you haven't been told yet," Violet muttered, ignoring her remark.

"What about my family?" Tenley pushed. "Does this have something to do with the email?"

Violet turned around to face the doctor. "So, you did get the message?"

"I don't know-"

"Did you read your message?" she asked, grabbing Tenley's arms to hold her in place as she gazed deep into her eyes. "Did you see the results?"

"I got the results of the DNA testing," Tenley admitted. "But how is that possible? They're my family-"

"No," Violet interrupted. "They're not." She released Tenley's arms and motioned for her to follow. As they walked, Violet asked, "Did Jack not tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Tenley asked. She remembered Jack very well. She shuddered as she thought back over him.

Violet sighed. "Jack came from the future."

"I remember," Tenley admitted.

"A future that might not exist anymore," Violet stated. "Because he told you who he was."

"Okay?" Tenley muttered, trying to keep up.

Violet cleared her throat. "Did he tell you anything about your family?"

The two stopped in a secluded spot on the deck. Violet studied Tenley's face as she thought over her interactions with Jack in the past. Tenley's eyes moved in thought. Suddenly, a memory popped into her mind. "He said that no matter how many times they tried to change history with my family, the outcome was always the same."

Violet nodded. "Did you ever wonder what changed?"

Tenley swallowed nervously. "What did he do to them?"

"Everything you could possibly imagine," Violet explained. "Your father changed three times." Tenley's face paled. Violet continued, "Your mother has changed a couple of times too. Even your siblings... their jobs have changed, the house you grew up in, even the dog."

Tenley's mouth parted to speak but her words caught in her throat. She stood there frozen, unable to respond as she listened to Violet.

Violet asked, "Have you ever thought about why your family hated you?"

Tenley swallowed her nerves. She shook her head. "I don't-"

"Those results that were mailed to you should have told you the answer to that question," Violet stated.

"That's impossible," Tenley whispered.

Violet held her gaze. "No, it's not," she answered, voice becoming pleading-like. "Think about it, Tenley. If your parents have changed that many times then that only means one thing..."

Tenley shook her head, almost willing Violet not to continue.

"You're _not_ their child," Violet told her.

 _ **07:55**_

Flynn entered the bridge to find the Captain and the helmsman. Both men turned to see Flynn's approach.

The Captain studied Flynn carefully. "I don't recognize you, sir."

"I was added to the crew in Naples, sir," Flynn lied.

The Captain slowly nodded. "Sounds like they wanted one of their own onboard for this mission, eh?"

Flynn nodded, knowing that his accent had led the Captain to believe that. He decided the best course of action would be for them to think whatever they wanted to.

"What can I do for you?" the Captain asked, turning his gaze back out of the window of the bridge.

Flynn examined the room, almost orienting himself to the layout for when the time came. "I was told to join you, sir."

"By whom?" the Captain asked, brows furrowed. He turned to face Flynn.

"Officer Johnson," Flynn said, deciding to use the name of the sleeper. "He asked me to check in with you to see if you needed anything."

The Captain's eyes narrowed suspiciously at Flynn. He took a step towards him. "I don't have anyone by that name on my crew."

Flynn's eyes darted over to the helmsman and back to the Captain. "I apologize, sir. The crew must be playing a joke on me. I'll take my leave-"

"You will do no such thing," the Captain spat. "You will stay right where you are." The Captain turned to the helmsman. "Get the First Mate up here."

Flynn sighed as the helmsman rushed off. "That's really not necessary-"

The Captain aimed a small gun at him. "I'd stay quiet if I were you, sir."

"I'm not your enemy here," Flynn said, raising his hands up in defense. "I'm trying to help-"

"One more word out of you and I'll shoot you," the Captain warned. "Less paperwork to deal with."

The helmsman had returned with another couple of officers. The Captain ordered, "Take him to the brig. I'll be down shortly to deal with him soon enough."

"You're making a mistake!" Flynn shouted as the felt the shackles gripping his wrists. "I'm trying to help you!"

As Flynn was pulled out of the bridge, he spotted Violet and Tenley's stunned faces as they watched Flynn's arrest.

Tenley's eyes turned back to the Captain. He had turned to shake the hands of another officer. She nudged Violet and asked, "Friend of yours?"

Violet muttered, "Yes."

"What do we do now?" Tenley asked.

Violet inhaled deeply, pulling Tenley away from the area. "We stick to the plan."

"I can't leave Flynn down there-" Tenley protested.

"You'll die if you go down there for him now," she told her. "It's almost time-"

"I'm _not_ leaving him!" she spat.

Violet sighed, head hanging in defeat. "Fine," she caved. "He'll be in the brig. It's the level above the cargo holds, near the back." She checked her watch. "You're not going to make it before we hit the mine."

"I have to try," Tenley remarked.

Violet nodded. "Then you have to do what you have to do," she told her. "But know that once the ship hits the mine, you'll have-"

"55 minutes," she said. "I know."  
"That's for the ship sinking," Violet told her. "You have less than that in the lower decks."

"Then I better get going," Tenley said.

Violet stopped her. "Good luck, Tenley. I wish I could tell you more."

Tenley nodded. "Me too. And I'm sorry," she added. "For not being able to help you fake your death."

As Tenley started for the stairs that led inside, she glanced over her shoulder. The man that had Flynn arrested had spotted her. His eyes narrowed at her. Tenley quickly rushed into the ship. She hoped that the man would follow her just so he'd leave Violet alone but at the same time, she hoped he'd leave her alone too.

 _ **08:07**_

Tenley rushed to the lower levels of the ship. Her nerves were getting the better of her as her breathing grew and her body started to tremble. She began jumping at the slightest noises around her. She knew time wasn't on her side. She just wanted to make sure that she found Flynn before it was too late.

She stopped briefly at the map on the wall of the hallway. She scanned the image to see that she still needed to get to the end of the long hallway to where the brig was. She had to run if she were to make it before the explosion.

She turned to make her way down when she bumped into the man from the bridge. She gasped, backing away from him and into the wall.

"I see that Violet has made a new friend," he remarked, scanning her face.

She swallowed nervously. "Please-"

"I don't care what you have to say," the man replied. "Begging has always been overdone."

Tenley scoffed, unsure what to do. The man asked, "What did she tell you?"

"Who?"

"Violet," the man spat. "Don't play dumb."

"She didn't tell me anything-"

The man sighed, giving her another disappointed look. "Don't lie either. I'd much rather listen to your begging."

"She didn't tell me anything-"

The man shook his head again, clearly growing frustrated. "I'm going to ask you one more time," he told her, removing a gun from his coat. "What did she tell you?"

"Who are you?" Tenley asked. "Bloodstone? Rittenhouse?"

"Doesn't matter," the man replied. "Once this is all over and done with, they'll be one and the same."

"What does that mean?" Tenley asked, hoping to keep him distracted off of what he wanted to know.

He laughed. "I know what you're doing," he said leaning towards her. "It won't work."

The ship jerked violently as an explosion boomed loudly throughout the ship. It threw the two to the ground. The man's gun slid across the floor and down the stairwell nearby as the ship continued to shake violently.

The ship groaned, strained, and creaked as it took the impact. Tenley noticed the man struggling to regain his footing. She knew that she had to act quickly. She rolled onto her knees and crawled up the hallway. She hoped to put as much distance between the two of them so that when the opportunity presented itself to get back on her feet, she'd be able to.

She felt the shaking of the ship lessening and pushed herself to her feet, stumbling into the walls as she tried to find her balance. Alarms sounded throughout the ship, sounding the order to evacuate.

Tenley glanced over her shoulder to see that the man had disappeared. She knew he'd still come after her. She rushed into the brig to see Flynn inside a cell and two officers standing guard.

The moment she burst into the room, the guards stared at her. She stammered, "We've been hit! We have to evacuate!"

The guards exchanged terrified looks before looking at her. "What did the Captain say?"

"We have to go!" she ordered. "Let him out! Let's go!"

One of the guards pulled the keys out of his pocket and started to work on the door to Flynn's cell. Just as he was about to unlock the door, a shot echoed inside the room. Tenley watched as the man with the keys fell to the ground dead.

She whirled around to see the suited man from earlier standing behind her. He smacked her across the face hard with the butt of his gun. She collapsed onto the ground, the world fading to black. She heard the sounds of gunfire, followed by a couple of cries of pain before her world was engulfed in darkness.

 _ **08:20**_

"Tenley?" a familiar voice spoke. "Tenley? Wake up! We don't have much time."

Tenley's eyes slowly opened and adjusted to the light around her. Flynn stood above her, gazing at her carefully. "What happened?"

Flynn shook his head. "We don't have time!" he said. He checked the rest of her out and asked, "Can you walk?"

She nodded, grimacing as she sat up. She touched her forehead where she had been struck. There were traces of blood on her hand. Flynn pulled her to her feet.

Stabilizing her on her feet, he grabbed her shoulders and gazed into her eyes. "Are you all right?"

The ship rumbled under their feet. She nodded. "Yeah..."

He took her hand, pulling her out of the brig. Her eyes darted back into the room to see the two guards and the suited man dead.

"The ship is sinking fast," Flynn told her. "We need to try to get up on deck."

Water was already pooling over their ankles. They looked up the hallway to see the water pouring in from the stairwell quickly. They stopped dead in the tracks. The ship groaned and jostled forward again. Flynn grabbed Tenley, making sure she didn't fall again.

She gripped his coat tightly. "What do we do?"

His eyes had hardened, lips tight. He glanced back at her. He could see the fear behind her eyes. He didn't have an answer. He knew that they'd be unable to climb up all the stairs to the upper deck in time. The ship was sinking too quickly for that.

Before he could answer her, the ship started to roll slightly, forcing them to brace against the wall. He grabbed her hand and ordered, "Follow me! I have an idea!"

Flynn pulled her towards the stairs and down a level into the cargo hold. "Where are we going?" she asked in a panic. "We should be going up!"

Flynn didn't explain. He hoped that he would be right about his gut feelings. He had to have faith that what he was told would come to fruition.

When they entered the cargo hold, most of the contents inside had slid down towards the vast flooding. Tenley's heart lurched as she watched the waters growing. "What are we doing?" she asked, panicked.

Flynn's eyes scanned the room. His heart fell into his stomach as he realized that he had screwed up. He turned to face Tenley. He could see her fear, her sadness, and the betrayal he imposed on her.

He slipped his hands on either side of her cheeks, pulling her forward and crashing his lips onto hers. He couldn't bring himself to tell her that this would probably be the end of them as they knew it.

When Tenley pulled away from him, the water had started to rise towards them. She glanced down and felt the ship starting to rise slightly, groaning under the weight of the ship's bow deep under the water. She raised her head to look back at Flynn and that's when she noticed the red glow coming from his coat pocket. "Flynn..."

His eyes darted down to his pocket. When he saw the red light, he whirled around, still holding her wrist, just in time to see the Lifeboat clank down into the cargo hold.

The weight of the Lifeboat had caused the ship to teeter, throwing everyone off their feet. Flynn and Tenley crashed to the floor, water splashing them briefly as the ship started to lower again.

Flynn bolted to his feet, pulling her up with him. He began leading her towards the Lifeboat. The hatch opened and Rufus and Lucy sat inside. Rufus lowered his hand down. "Did you miss us?"

Flynn ignored the remark, lifting Tenley up. Rufus grabbed her wrists and helped her inside. Flynn started to climb into the Lifeboat. Rufus helped him inside. Once they were both inside, Rufus quickly returned to his chair, strapping in. "Hold onto your butts!"

The hatch started closing. Just as it latched, they could hear the sound of the ship snapping under the weight. Tenley embraced Flynn just as the Lifeboat disappeared from that time.


	52. The Cogs Of Fate

**Present Day**

The Lifeboat clanked back into the bunker, water splashing to the floor around it. The hatch opened and the team slowly emerged. Agent Christopher gazed up at them. "What happened? Where'd all this water come from?"

"Well," Rufus began. "We had to make a sudden rescue on a sinking boat."

"What are you talking about?" Denise asked, confused.

Rufus cleared his throat. "I had a little help before we left..."

The confusion was written on everyone's faces as they blinked at him. He pointed to Mason. "He gave me a heads-up."

Everyone turned to face Mason. He held up the journal and stated, "I read what would happen and decided to take matters into my own hands. In the journal, Future Rufus wrote about how Flynn and Tenley both died during this mission, being left in the brig." He held Agent Christopher's gaze. "Figured it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission with this one."

She turned and faced the team. "What happened?"

Flynn explained to everyone what took place on the Britannic. When he said that he had taken them into the cargo hold of the ship because Rufus said he'd be there to help rescue them, Rufus smiled.

Tenley looked between the two men. "Thank you..."

Denise sighed, clearly relieved that her team survived but seemingly disappointed in how it turned out. "What did we learn?"

"Violet Jessop was the girl I rescued during the Pulaski disaster," Tenley stated.

Lucy nodded. "I saw her photograph after the ship set sail. Looks like Bloodstone had taken her sometime after we left."

Tenley nodded. "Jack took her."

"Jack?" Wyatt repeated. " _That_ Jack? The one that shot you?"

Tenley nodded again. She didn't need to remind him that Jack was also his son from a different timeline. The look on Wyatt's face had confirmed that he remembered.

"Did she share any information with you?" Mason asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

Tenley hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yeah...she did."

"Does it have anything to do with the email you got before you left?" Mason questioned.

Tenley scoffed. "Is that in the journal too?"

He shook his head. "No, you left your laptop open."

Tenley's mouth fell agape. She couldn't believe that Mason had gone through her things in her absence.

Mason added, "I went in there for some Tylenol... you left it open."

"Wait," Wyatt began. "What email? What's he talking about?"

Tenley sighed, turning around to face the rest of the team. She took in a shaky breath and asked, "Do you remember when we went back to London? And Jack was the Ripper?" The team nodded, waiting for her to continue. She said, "He told me that Bloodstone had tried several times to change my family to prevent me from...well..." She cleared her throat, determined to skip all the brutal details from that mission and conversation. She pressed on, "Apparently, they _had_ changed the outcome of my family numerous times...but I was always the same." She paused for a moment before adding, "The email that Mason's talking about had DNA results of my family..."

"Okay?" Wyatt muttered, not following along. The rest of the team seemed to be waiting for her to continue.

"My DNA doesn't match any of theirs," she concluded.

"How is that possible?" Wyatt asked, confused.

"I'm not their kid," she confirmed.

Mason took a step forward, holding the journal. "It's written in here." Tenley turned to face him. He added, "The answer to who you are is inside this journal..." He glanced between Rufus and Jiya. "She's the one he came back to check up on."

All eyes landed on Tenley. She shifted under their gazes. "What? Why?"

Mason turned to Agent Christopher. "Should I share with the class?"

Agent Christopher sighed, motioning for him to continue. "Might as well."

Mason paused for a moment, unsure if he was about to make a big mistake in revealing this secret but there had been no other option. They had to know. He cleared his throat and stated, "Tenley... you're from the future."

"What?" she asked, confused. "That can't be...I was born-"

"No," he interrupted her. "You were brought back in time by Future Rufus." All eyes turned to Rufus, who simply shrugged. Mason continued, "He saved your life by bringing you back in time to a family he believed would protect you."

She scoffed. The family she had been placed in hated her guts. How would they protect her and from what? She couldn't wrap her head around it. The more she took in what she was being told, the more it made sense. They hated and resented her because she was dumped on them without the option to say no.

Mason licked his lips before saying, "The journal states who your real parents are..." She held his gaze, awaiting the conclusion of this conversation. He blinked as he said, "It's Wyatt and Lucy."

Words caught in Tenley's throat. She blinked back tears as she slowly turned to face Wyatt and Lucy. They met her gaze, locking eyes with her.

Wyatt asked, "Is that why they kept confusing her with Lucy?"

Mason nodded, holding the journal up again. "It's written in here that Bloodstone knew that a baby had been born...they spent their time searching for it-" he turned his gaze back to Tenley. "For you...but couldn't find you."

"Why would they want a baby?" Wyatt asked, seemingly protectively.

Lucy couldn't tear her eyes away from Tenley. The more that Lucy stared at Tenley, the more she saw herself in the doctor - the more she could see Wyatt's features too. Tears were forming behind her eyes as she took in what could become in the future.

"The journal stated that Bloodstone wanted to use your baby against the two of you," Mason explained. "Holding your child against you would make you do things you wouldn't want to do - like working for them or quitting the team."

"So what happened?" Wyatt questioned.

Mason stated, "Rufus took the baby one night and disappeared through time. No one knew the exact time or location where he took the baby. She simply vanished from their sights...until recently."

"How'd they find her?" Wyatt asked. "What led them to suddenly realize who she was?"

"I think it was discovered shortly after they began attempting to get her to leave the team," Mason explained. "The moment they changed her family and she remained the same, they had their answer."

Tenley felt overwhelmed as she listened to this. Her stomach twisted in knots. Her whole life was a lie. Everything she knew - everything she thought she knew - was a lie. It didn't exist. Nothing about her existed.

"Nine?" Flynn's voice whispered close to her. She didn't blink nor look up at him. Flynn stared at her. Her dark eyes stared off into the distance. They had grown darker than he'd ever seen them before. "Nine?"

She finally blinked back to the present, tears cascading down her cheeks. "Yeah?" she whispered back.

"You okay?" he asked, concerned.

All eyes were on her. She swallowed the bile that threatened to come up. She nodded briefly. With a shaky voice, she asked, "What now? What becomes of me now?"

Mason shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "I will say though..." he tucked the journal under his arm as he crossed his arms. "Bloodstone is weakening. Rittenhouse _is_ winning this battle."

"How do we stop them? How do we stop _this_?" Wyatt demanded answers. "Who is Reynolds?"

Mason turned to Agent Christopher. He unfolded his arms and opened the journal. He flipped through the pages and set the book onto the table. "Look familiar?"

Agent Christopher leaned forward to get a better look at the picture. Her face paled as her head snapped up. "Seriously?"

She grabbed her things and headed for the vehicle. Wyatt chased after her. "Where are you going?" he called after her.

"Home!" she shouted.

"I'll come with you," Wyatt offered. "You shouldn't do this alone."

"I don't have all day," she warned him, rushing for the vehicle. Wyatt didn't hesitate to grab his weapon and hop into the passenger seat as they drove away from the bunker.

Mason picked up the journal from the table and turned to Jiya. "You said that you've controlled your visions?"

Jiya shifted uncomfortably in her place. "For the most part...why?"

"How often do you use your visions?" Mason questioned.

Jiya's dark eyes bounced around the room, taking in everyone's curious gazes. "Not often...anymore..."

"I'd stop altogether if I were you," Mason warned.

"Why?" she asked. "What do you know?"

He glanced over at Rufus. "Future Rufus knew there was nothing to be done for you if he came back here...warning you would do nothing...but maybe I can take a stab at it."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, growing weary.

Mason held her worried gaze and stated, "Your brain goes haywire each time you take a trip through those visions...your brain swells with that information..." He paused to glance over the remaining team members. "You're going to have a brain aneurysm, Jiya. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but each time you go through that, you run the risk of killing yourself."

Jiya's eyes filled with tears. "For certain?"

He nodded. "Future Rufus warned you several times and you didn't listen. Maybe you'll listen to someone else...someone who's read the future."

Jiya fought back her tears as Mason left with the journal, leaving the team standing in stunned silence.

Agent Christopher slammed on the breaks in her driveway, throwing the car into park. She threw the door open and rushed towards the front door. Wyatt was behind her, gun drawn and waiting for her orders.

The two barged into the house. The lights were on but no one was home. "Check upstairs," she ordered Wyatt. He nodded and quickly climbed the stairs to check the bedrooms.

Denise continued to move swiftly from room to room, searching for her family. She noticed the wine glasses on the kitchen counter, still half-full with red wine. Michelle's house and car keys still hung on the hook by the fridge. She knew that someone was still inside the house.

Denise found herself back in the living room. She hadn't spotted anyone. Her dark eyes spotted a jacket strung on the back of the couch. She tensed and turned around to see a familiar face standing a couple of feet away from her, large toothy grin flashing her.

"Owen," she growled.

Owen smiled at her. "Agent Christopher," he said. "Or should I call you, Denise? Are we at that stage in our relationship now?"

"Where's my family?" she spat.

He shrugged off the comment. "Safe, I promise you," he stated. "Shall we sit?" She didn't budge. She kept her still, waiting for the right moment to raise her gun to fire at him. He chuckled. "Suit yourself."

He sat down on one of her armchairs. He released a short sigh. "It took you long enough to figure it out."

"I thought you were an urban planner," Denise recalled.

He laughed. "That's my day job..." he swatted the air. "Boring work."  
"And Ann?" Denise asked, hoping to catch him off guard.

"Oh, she's my wife," he confirmed. "Annoying but she'll do."

Agent Christopher asked, "What do you want?"

"I think you know what I want," he told her. "You wouldn't be here if you hadn't already figured things out by now."

"You're Reynolds?" she questioned.

He smirked. "I might be."

"Are you or are you not?" she demanded to know.

His smile widened. "If you don't know that for certain, maybe you haven't figured it all out yet." He crossed his legs and stated, "Bloodstone may be losing this battle but the war is far from over."

"I could shoot you now," Denise stated.

He suppressed a smile. "You could but you won't." He held her gaze and stated, "You won't shoot me because you still need me."

"I doubt that," she remarked, grip tightening around the gun.

"You do," he told her. "I'm not the only one running things with Bloodstone. You recall that Carol Preston had started Bloodstone, right?"

Denise narrowed her eyes at him. She remembered that conversation a while ago.

He nodded. "I'll take your silence as an answer," he stated. He continued, "You _could_ kill me but that doesn't mean that you've ended Bloodstone. There are others in charge."

She held his stare. "You're not Reynolds."

His wicked smile grew on his face. "No," he admitted. "I'm not. Think of me as a decoy for the real Reynolds."

"Decoy?" she repeated, eyes narrowed on him.

He nodded. "Much like Stalin had...and others." He switched legs as he remained seated. "I propose a solution to help one another."

"You don't have anything that I want-"

"I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss what I'm offering, Agent Christopher," he stated. "You should at least listen because I can guarantee that Reynolds - the real Reynolds - won't give you another chance." She waited as he continued, "He sees everything - more than you can imagine - and you'll never be able to pinpoint his location until he's ready - until he _wants_ you to find him."

"So, he sends you instead?" she asked.

"To show you how close we can get to you and your family without you ever knowing," he explained.

"Where is my family?" she asked again.

"At the movies," he told her. "With Ann."

"If you hurt my family," Denise began.

He waved her concern to the side. "You should be thinking about yourself at this moment."

"Are you threatening me?" she asked, voice sharp.

He shook his head. "Warning you," he rebutted. "If you join our forces, we can take down Rittenhouse for good."

"And what would Bloodstone get in return?" she asked.

"Bloodstone is seeking power," he told her. "Righting wrongs, fixing the mistakes that Rittenhouse put into play many years ago."

"You're true Patriots," she mocked.

He chuckled. "You can poke fun and spit on our name when you think of us but we've done more good for this country than you realize."

"And kidnapping people out of history?" Denise asked. "Searching for an innocent child? What's the purpose behind that?"

For a split second, the man's eyes flashed with red anger. It happened so quickly that Agent Christopher doubted that she had even seen his reaction. She stilled her nerves, knowing that she couldn't doubt herself at this moment.

He sucked his teeth before saying, "That child is a means to an end of an era. The easiest solution to the problems we face. Unfortunately, we can't figure out where she is." He blinked at Denise and stated, "And yes, we know now who she is. We didn't in the beginning and that was because of Carol Preston."

Agent Christopher's brows knitted together in confusion. Owen cleared his throat and explained, "We've had agents from the future visit us to inform us of our mistakes. It's how we've grown into the position that we've gotten-"

"You're losing the battle," Denise reminded him. "You said so yourself, so why are you continuing to persuade us to join a losing force?"

Owen chuckles, lacing his fingers together as he clasped his hands together on his lap. "How little you know...it's quite sad," he spat. "I thought they trained you better than this in Homeland Security."

Agent Christopher stood there, still gripping her gun, waiting for him to lower his guard. She knew that someone like him wouldn't be here defenseless. He could have snipers nearby and she'd never know.

Owen continued, "All you have to do is hand the doctor over to us and we'll end this war with Rittenhouse and everyone can go home."

Denise tilted her head. "And what about the lives of the people that you killed along the way? The families you've destroyed in the process? What about them?"

"Unfortunate victims of warfare," Owen said with a shrug.

Denise thought about what he said. She knew there was no negotiating with a terrorist such as him. She couldn't trust anyone from either Rittenhouse nor Bloodstone.

He saw her slipping her finger towards her trigger. "I warn you," he began. "If you kill me, you're only making the matter worse for you and your team...and your family."

"If _I_ kill you?" she repeated.

He stood up, nodding. "You can't kill me, Agent Christopher. Not without risking everything in your life and your world. Killing me will only make Bloodstone stronger. We've seen the future! We know what's coming before you do! We-"

The sounds of a gun firing numerous times blasted within the room. Owen's pained and surprised expression took Agent Christopher by surprise as she watched the man fall lifelessly to her living room floor, blood pooling quickly around him.

Her dark eyes glanced up to see Wyatt standing there, gun still trained on Owen's body. She blinked at him.

Wyatt stated, "He didn't see _me_ coming, did he?"

She smiled at him, letting a small chuckle out. "What took you so long?" she asked.

He titled his head to the side briefly. "Wanted to see what he'd say if anything... turns out he's got nothing."

"I wouldn't say he had nothing," she replied, bending down to check for a pulse. Owen was dead.

"What do you mean?" Wyatt asked, lowering his gun to his side.

Agent Christopher stood up, pulling her cell phone from her pocket. She scrolled through her contacts in search of her contacts with Homeland Security. "He's not Reynolds," she told him. "This war with Bloodstone - and Rittenhouse - is far from over."

Wyatt nodded slowly as he let that sink in. For him, this chapter of his life was over. They had succeeded in stopping them this time. He had confidence that they'd be able to stop them again.

Agent Christopher called her contacts and began to fill them in on what had taken place. She ordered them to the movie theater where her family was with Ann and to arrest her. She even ordered a clean-up crew to her house. Michelle wouldn't be too thrilled to learn that her white shag carpet had a bright blood stain on it - not that Denise cared, she hated that rug.

Hours later, Agent Christopher returned to the bunker with Wyatt. The members of the team that remained came out to greet them, anxiously awaiting the news.

Agent Christopher explained what had taken place, the conversation with Owen, and the aftermath. She explained that the war against Bloodstone and Rittenhouse was far from over. She even told them that 'Reynolds' was still out there - that the journal had only led them to part of those in control.

"So," Rufus started. "What does this mean for us moving forward? What do we do now?"

Agent Christopher stated with confidence, "We continue doing what we've been doing all this time. We stop Rittenhouse. We stop Bloodstone. We save history."

The team smiled, happy to hear that no matter what problems arose, they would still be a team, working together towards a common goal.

Tenley asked quietly, "What happens to me?" All eyes turned towards her. She added, "We know that they're not going to stop looking for me. They know who I am now...I can't put any of you at risk..."

Agent Christopher said, "I think I speak for everyone when I say that you're part of this family. You're not going anywhere."

The team smiled at Tenley, offering her comforting smiles and glances. The doctor forced a smile back but deep down, something was eating away at her.

Rufus said, "I think this calls for a celebration!"

While the team started to celebrate this small victory, Tenley headed back to her room. Flynn followed her.

Tenley paced in her room for a moment before Flynn entered the room behind her. Her eyes lifted to meet his as he closed the door behind him. "Nine?"

She stopped pacing, holding his gaze. He stayed put, unsure what was going on inside her mind. She sighed. "What do I do now?"

"What do you mean?" he asked. "You heard Agent Christopher, you stay here with us - with your family."

She chuckled, scoffing at the same time. "You're joking, right?"

He furrowed his brow at her. "Nine? What's going on?"

She swallowed nervously. "I'm not... I'm not from this time. I'm from the future - a future, I might add, that might not happen..." Flynn tilted his head at her. He waited for her to continue. She said, "If it's true that I'm a product of Wyatt and Lucy some years to come and if Bloodstone and Rittenhouse know this...it's easy to wipe me from history -er, the future...whatever."

Flynn finally caught up to her train of thought. He fully understood her fears now. It hadn't occurred to him until she spelled it out to him at this moment. He realized that not even the team had given it much thought. He knew that what she said was true. Should either force decide that they wanted to remove Tenley from the team for good, they'd have to target Wyatt or Lucy - kill two birds with one stone.

She blinked back the tears as she looked at him. "I'm terrified that I'm not going to be able to live my life the way that I want to...to live the rest of my life...with you..."

He closed the gap between them, pulling her face to his and conquering her lips with his. He devoured her as he kept her close to him. The moment their lips connected, that burning passion erupted. It was as though this was their last moment together in the universe. It felt like their last time together as he gathered her in his arms.

When she pushed him away gently, he looked into her eyes. "I won't let anything happen to you," he told her quietly. "There's nothing in this world that will stop me from being there for you."

"And if you wake up one day and I'm not here?" she asked, tears forming behind her eyes.

"Then I'll go back in time and stop them from coming for you," he told her. "I've done it before. I'll do it again and again until the end of time. I won't let them take you from me."

He captured her lips once more. This time, it was gentler, kinder, and more loving. He was proving to her his love, admiration, and dedication to her. She felt every fiber of her being as it succumbed to him. She was his and there wasn't anything to be done about it.

A couple of quiet days later, the alarms in the bunker sounded. The team gathered by the computer as Jiya typed away. "January 14, 1947. Los Angeles."

Lucy was quick with her answer. "The Black Dahlia murder...she's found the next morning."

Agent Christopher nodded. "All right. You know the drill. Be careful. We don't know who we're up against on this mission."

Rufus, Lucy, and Wyatt headed towards the Lifeboat. Flynn stopped beside Tenley and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. He whispered, "I'll see you soon enough, Nine."

She smiled up at him. "Be safe."

"Always," he replied. "I love you."

"And I, you," she said back with a loving smile.

She watched as Flynn entered the Lifeboat. She knew that he'd come back to her - he always did - and she'd be there waiting for him.

The hatch to the Lifeboat closed and the team disappeared into time and space to stop history from changing as they had several times before. And would continue to do so for many timelines to come.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you, everyone, for your follows, reviews, and interest in this story. Clearly, it's not the end but it is the end for this story. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing and sharing it with you. Cheers! ~Z**


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